Do Bulls deserve dose of preseason optimism?
Thanks to the basketball operations overhaul, optimism levels surrounding the Bulls appear to be higher than normal for a team coming off consecutive 22-win seasons.
But when the Bulls finally take the court Friday after a nine-month layoff, the watch list can be easily trimmed to three items:
• Can Coby White continue playing at the level where he ended his rookie season?
• What will draft board-scaling rookie Patrick Williams look like on an NBA court?
• Can the Bulls be more competitive?
Preseason won't provide any definitive answers, but it is a chance to see how certain players have evolved.
The Bulls have just three new faces on the roster this year and veteran guard Garrett Temple remains sidelined by a positive COVID-19 test. So the newcomer list is limited to Williams and two-way player Devon Dotson, a rookie guard from Kansas.
Denzel Valentine won't play because of a hamstring issue, but everyone else is expected to be available when Houston visits the empty United Center. Don't expect to see late-arrriving James Harden in action, but Rockets newcomers John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, two guys who missed all of last season, could play.
Since the roster is generally unchanged, Lauri Markkanen was asked Thursday to provide some practice standouts and he chose the two most obvious names.
"A lot of guys made the leap," he said. "I'm of course impressed by our rookie. He's playing really well. And I think Coby made a big jump too, so looking forward for him to have a big season too."
Asked to expand his thoughts, Markkanen started with Williams, the 6-9 forward from Florida State, chosen with the No. 4 pick of the draft.
"He's long and athletic and he's been really good for our perimeter defense," Markkanen said. "And I always talk about his float game, I don't think I've seen him miss a shot, so that's looking very solid.
"I think the game is slowing down for (White). He's making better reads, and just, the pace he's playing with, I think he's more comfortable now."
New coach Billy Donovan didn't reveal a starting lineup, but he has stated a preference for White to serve as the primary ballhandler. So expect to see a starting lineup of White, Markkanen, Zach LaVine, Wendell Carter Jr., and a forward to be named later.
How well White adapts to the point guard role and meshes with LaVine is another key question. White and LaVine never started together last season, though they did finish plenty of games.
Markkanen is obviously hoping to bounce back from a disappointing performance last year. Carter was the Bulls' best two-way player, meaning offense and defense, until suffering a bad ankle injury in early January.
"The first thing we need to do is we need to compete really hard and really well. It starts there," Donovan said. "And then how do we execute? How do we play with one another? How do we make each other better? It's probably not going to be over a 48-minute game. We've got four preseason games. I think we've got to build up to that point."
Donovan said the coaching staff will likely evaluate at halftime which players need more time on the floor and which players should get the rest of the night off. After hosting Houston on Friday and Sunday, the Bulls will finish preseason with two games at Donovan's former coaching home of Oklahoma City.
"It's not like I'm sitting there and saying. 'Let's put Lauri in these situations and see what he looks like, let's put Zach in these situations and see what he looks like,'" Donovan said. "How do we function as five players on the court together? That's really the most important thing. Can they make each other better and can they help each other play to their strengths?"
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