Takeaways from Bulls’ preseason loss in Denver

After raining down 3-pointers in Friday’s preseason loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson went cold from deep in Denver.

Wilson missed his first three attempts behind the arc Sunday night in a 133-128 preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets. He finally made his only 3-pointer of the game as the first half ended, watching the ball rattle through the rim as the backboard lit up at the buzzer. The shot earned an appreciative pat on the chest from Nuggets veteran Aaron Gordon.

Even on a down shooting night, Wilson never was wanting for effort. After coughing up a turnover at the top of the key early in the second quarter, he chased Alpha Diallo at a dead sprint to smack the ball out of his hands, preventing a transition dunk to erase his error.

When his 3-point shot failed to fall, Wilson shouldered his way into the gut of the defense and pulled up to unload his midrange jumper. He tallied 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting and earned seven free throws, hitting four.

Wilson was an anomaly behind the arc in an otherwise hot shooting night for the Bulls. The rest of the starters went 7-for-13 from 3-point range, and Buddy Hield and Leonard Miller both went 4-for-6 off the bench. The Bulls finished 21-for-50 (42%) on 3s.

Here are four other takeaways from the loss.

1. Small ball experiments continue.

The Bulls already were missing both of their centers with Nic Claxton (hamstring) and Zach Collins (quadriceps) sidelined for the majority of training camp. After playing 6-foot-8 forward Tobe Awaka in that position for the first two preseason games, the Bulls were forced to adjust again when Awaka was a late scratch because of an injury.

That pushed Jalen Smith — who originally was expected to come off the bench as the backup power forward — into the starting center position. It was a particularly undersized look for the Bulls to roll out against Nikola Jokić, who took advantage and racked up 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in fewer than 27 minutes.

Collins could return by the season opener Oct. 21, and Claxton should be close behind. But for now, these small rotations are the status quo for the Bulls. Although starting Smith gave the Bulls a positionless mobility that opened a fast-paced offensive style, it’s hard to see how the defense can keep up for long with such a disparity on the low block.

2. Leonard Miller is gunning for a bigger role.

The Bulls rotation is cluttered at the four, and Miller is adding to that cramped position group. He’s competing with other backup forwards such as Noa Essengue to establish himself in the rotation, and he made a quick impression off the bench in Denver and started the second half as a result.

Miller went 4-for-6 from deep and 11-for-14 overall from the field to score a team-high 26 points before he was pulled in the fourth quarter. He also led the Bulls with seven rebounds.

3. Noa Essengue struggles to score.

The Bulls are beginning to see flashes of the defensive instincts that made Essengue an intriguing prospect last summer. But in his second preseason, he hasn’t quite figured out how to create his own shot. He finished with eight points despite playing the third-most minutes on the team.

Essengue missed all three of his 3-point attempts. Three of his four baskets were put-back dunks or layups. Those types of baskets are crucial for the Bulls, and that type of second effort should be rewarded for a young player like Essengue.

But on a team that already struggles with creation, the Bulls can’t afford for Essengue to remain this stalled out in his own shot creation.

4. New threads for DeMar DeRozan.

The preseason game offered a reunion for former Bulls star DeRozan, who signed a one-year, $2.45 million deal with the Nuggets in the offseason.

DeRozan, 37, will come off the bench for the Nuggets this season. He scored two points in just over nine minutes against the Bulls.