Lonzo Ball's Return is the Only Bright Spot in the Bulls' Ugly Season-Opening Loss
The Chicago Bulls couldn't overcome turnovers and shaky defense in their season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Welp.
The Chicago Bulls didn’t enter the season with high expectations. I, for one, have begged them to lose as many games as possible. They are stuck in basketball purgatory, the worst spot an NBA team can be in.
It should be a season of Billy Donovan toying with lineup combinations featuring young talent, allowing the front office to properly evaluate who the clear building blocks of the future will be.
Unfortunately, we are talking about the Chicago Bulls.
Yes, it’s only been one game.
Yes, they lost. Didn’t you just say that’s a good thing?
I suppose so, dear reader, but last night has left a no-good, very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The Bulls were beaten 123-111 by the Zion-less New Orleans Pelicans.
The first half was sloppy yet promising, as the Bulls entered halftime down one. There were highlights, including Lonzo Ball’s return to the regular season after 1,013 days. Zach LaVine had a red-hot second quarter, starting the game 5-for-5 from three.
That’s where it ends.
The offense did play faster, but it was sloppy, with 21 turnovers leading to 30 points for New Orleans.
New starting point guard Josh Giddey flew around the court but was unable to get his highly-touted playmaking magic going, finishing with just three assists and three turnovers to go along with a team-worst minus-22. Shooting will be a season-long concern — he attempted only one three-pointer and passed up multiple looks from deep.
LaVine, who finished with a team-high 27 points on 10-17 shooting, showed flashes of his All-Star form, but by the fourth quarter, he resorted to his ever-frustrating iso-ball and contested chucking. It was the true Zach LaVine Experience – 12 minutes of offensive dominance followed by befuddling decision-making. Not to mention his seven turnovers. At least he caught this cool oop from Lonzo!
Speaking of which, welcome back Lonzo Ball! Ball made his return to the lineup, finishing with five points, four assists, and two rebounds in 14 minutes.
For a guy who hadn’t played in nearly three years, Ball looks like his “old” self, making smart passes, positioning himself on defense, and getting open for threes. The biggest problem surrounding Ball is that he’s indefinitely restricted – he won’t play more than 15 minutes and won’t play in back-to-backs.
Even in just 14 minutes, it’s evident that Ball is far-and-away Chicago’s most competent guard. For a team trying to up the tempo and play at a faster pace, there’s no player more impactful than Lonzo, who will surely make the most of the time he’s given. It’s up to Billy Donovan to navigate the other 27 minutes of the game.
Other takeaways:
Nikola Vucevic with another double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds) and zero impact on defense (minus-14 in 31 minutes). Unfortunately, this will be a trend all season. All stats, no substance.
Matas Buzelis, who is being touted as the young guy, only saw five minutes of action. The team is going to stink — get him out there. He was a bit trigger-happy, finishing 0-3 from the field (all threes), but finished with a team-high plus-eight. He’s not going to get better and adapt to the speed of the NBA without seeing the floor.
Jalen Smith! The newly-acquired backup center finished with 15 points (5-8 shooting) and five rebounds in 17 minutes. He looked great and should see the floor for at least 20 minutes a night. He impacts both sides of the floor, unlike you-know-who.
Was Patrick Williams even out there? This is either a way-too-early overreaction or a way-too-late realization: he might not be a starter in the NBA. The “potential” talk is over, he just signed a $90 million contract and finished with 6 points in 24 minutes. Either get aggressive or get on the bench.
There is ZERO REASON that Dalen Terry should be on this roster over Javonte Green.
All there is to do now is wait and see. Chicago has a brutal four-game stretch coming up, as they take on the Bucks tomorrow night in Milwaukee, followed by matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, and Orlando Magic. An 0-5 start is not out of the question.
Cooper Flagg, here we come!
Looking forward to a season of updates...but maybe not the games...
Great read Martian