Bulls finish preseason with pieces still missing
The Bulls are planning to use a deep rotation and vary the starting lineups. So they got plenty of practice with that stuff the past few weeks.
But are they ready to open the NBA season, considering all the absences during preseason?
Ready or not, it starts next Wednesday against Detroit. The Bulls put some effort into winning Thursday's finale against Minnesota, using both Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey in the fourth quarter. It paid off as the Bulls beat the Timberwolves 126-120 to end preseason with a 3-2 record.
Buzelis finished with 19 points in 25 minutes, while Giddey had 14 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Julian Phillips scored 17 points, and the Bulls pulled away thanks to a couple fourth-quarter 3-pointers by veteran guard Jevon Carter (12 points).
While Phillips and Kevin Huerter returned to action after missing three games with injuries, the Bulls played without Ayo Dosunmu (left thumb), Isaac Okoro (knee soreness) and Patrick Williams (left hamstring tightness). Coach Billy Donovan doesn't think any of those injuries are concerning.
Meanwhile, Coby White (calf strain) didn't play at all in preseason.
“It's hard anytime somebody's out, especially someone that's important like ‘Cobe,’” Giddey said. “Hopefully once he's back practicing and playing, the rhythm can be found pretty quickly. But he's an important piece for what we do. I'm sure he'll pick it up quick and fit right back into the team.”
Forward Zach Collins walked off the court grabbing his wrist and went to the locker room during the fourth quarter but seemed to be fine in the locker room.
The hope is White will be ready for the opener against the Pistons, even though he's yet to go through a full practice.
“I think the only box he has left to check is contact and we just haven't been able to do that,” Donovan said. “Saturday would be a day where we get back to contact in practice. That is the only hurdle he has not gotten over.”
This game was a decent test, since Minnesota played many of its regulars more than half the game. Anthony Edwards scored 25 points in 30 minutes, while Julius Randle added 23 in 26 minutes and center Rudy Gobert scored 16.
Donovan said before the contest he expects to change starting lineups based on opponent and matchups. On Thursday he went with two bigs, Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith, to guard Gobert and Randle. It does seem likely Okoro will be a starter because the Bulls got him in a trade from Cleveland to take on challenging defensive assignments, such as Edwards.
“We're going to have to be a team where the whole is better than the parts,” Donovan said. “In relationship to that, moving guys around to different spots or starting different guys or having different rotations or lineups out there is something we have some flexibility with.”