Williams starts, Bulls roll past Thunder in Oklahoma City
What's the best look for the Bulls when they step out for pregame introductions?
On Wednesday in Oklahoma City, coach Billy Donovan tried rookie forward Patrick Williams in the starting lineup. Whether or not he had much to do with it, the Bulls rolled over the Thunder 124-103 in the third preseason game.
This was another good night for the 20-20 backcourt of Coby White and Zach LaVine. White finished with 27 points and LaVine 25, both in less than 30 minutes played, while both guards shot better than 50 percent from the field.
The play of the night, though, might have been when Lauri Markkanen tried to jump over 7-foot rookie Aleksej Pokusevski for a poster dunk. Markkanen missed the slam, but drew a foul and surely everyone who follows the Bulls was glad to see the fourth-year forward get aggressive.
Keep in mind, Oklahoma City is aiming for the No. 1 draft pick in 2021 after moving on from Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder. The Thunder figure to finish near the bottom of the standings.
And even though the relationship is new, the Bulls seem to be enjoying Donovan's fast-paced, freewheeling offense, which typically leaves the middle open for players to attack off the dribble.
"We're going to hit some adversity at some point," LaVine said. "We're going to have to learn how to deal with it and adjust. For right now, I think it's playing to our strengths of getting out on the floor, keeping the floor spaced and having driving lanes to have people be able to create, kick it or finish the play."
Williams didn't start any games during his lone season at Florida State, so this move was a big deal for him.
"It's an experience definitely that I'll never forget," Williams said after posting 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 26 minutes. "I'm just thankful for coach for giving me the opportunity and thankful for my teammates to keep encouraging me. We got the win, so that's pretty much what matters."
The most obvious reason to start the 6-foot-8 forward is he brings a much-needed versatile defender to the opening group. White and LaVine have been impressive on offense so far in preseason, but chances are they'll have a hard time keeping opposing guards from driving past them.
Last year when that happened, center Wendell Carter Jr. was the last line of defense and often got in early foul trouble because the guards - back then it was LaVine and Tomas Satoransky - gave up too many blow-bys.
Williams would give Carter some help. He's a long, athletic defender who also seems to have a pretty good basketball Q, so the hope is he wouldn't pick up dumb fouls. Williams could also try take on the tough wing matchups like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum or Ben Simmons. Like they say, you learn by doing and this season is mostly about growth for the Bulls.
Asked if Williams could start the regular-season opener against Atlanta next week, Donovan wouldn't say no.
"I mean, we'll see how he does," Donovan said before the game. "But I think keeping an open mind toward that is not out of the question."
The other side of the coin is the Bulls' starting lineup on Wednesday featured five young players, all one-and-dones in college, who have never even sniffed a 40-win season in the NBA. Those type of lineups are bound to struggle.
But Donovan could also test it out and see how things go, then consider changes later when veterans like Thaddeus Young and Garrett Temple are healthy.
One trend Donovan has shown in preseason is he likes a big second unit with Williams, Porter and Chandler Hutchison working as multi-positional wings. When Satoransky comes back, the Bulls could field a lineup with no one smaller than 6-foot-7. Removing Porter from the starting lineup gives the second group an experienced scorer and also limits his minutes a bit in an effort to keep him healthier this season.
Hutchison (11 points, 7 rebounds) has looked good in preseason. He brings the sort of reckless athleticism a young team like the Bulls needs.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls