Newsletter

Preview NBA 2022-23 Chicago Bulls

Preview NBA 2022-23 Chicago Bulls. Data, results from the previous season, a look at their roster and their future free agents, the objectives of the course, the player to watch and a forecast about the franchise.

Chicago Bulls

Template

  • Movements in the market: Arrivals of Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic (here all the movements).
  • Backcourt: Lonzo Ball, Goran Dragic, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Carlik Jones, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso y DeMar DeRozan.
  • Frontcourt: Javonte Green, Dalen Terry, Justin Lewis (contrato dual), Malcolm Hill (contrato dual), Patrick Williams, Derrick Jones Jr., Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond, Tony Bradley y Mark Simonovic.

This is how they face the season

In order to confirm the step forward. After four mediocre seasons, the Bulls opened the path of illusion in 2021-22. They went from 31 wins to 46 and returned to the playoffs, even though injuries hit them hard as they progressed (they still do). We can say that they drew a new present, one that filled their fans with joy and that now, as is natural, brings with it a demand that follows precisely that line, that of a team made to fight every game and continue to play in the qualifying rounds for the title.

The truth is that the preparation of the template invites us to think that they will achieve it. Arturas Karnisovas proposed an authentic revolution in 2021 and now, a year later, he has chosen to continue a scheme that works. It has been a summer of few changes. The DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic arrived a year ago and continue. Zach LaVine, who was speculated to leave, has signed for the max for the next five seasons. As for news, they have a couple of illustrious veterans: Andre Drummond for the paint and Goran Dragic to reinforce the point guard position – they needed it with Ball’s difficult recovery.

It’s often said that what works is best left untouched, and that’s the bet in Illinois. The start of last year was incredible; so much so that they came to lead the Eastern Conference when more than a month of competition had already passed. That team is practically the same as the one they present now, only that there are details to take into account that can change both the development and the outcome of their season.

We start with the franchise player. If there were any doubts, the 5 years and 215 million dollars that Zach LaVine has been given have dispelled them. It is the piece on which the entire project revolves and on which they want to base many years of basketball in Chicago. They have had no doubts, and it is normal. At 27 years old, he has spent four seasons in the organization for a total of 272 games and an average of 24.4 points per night. With them he has become an All-Star and with them he wants to continue progressing.

Focusing now on what lies ahead in 2022-23, we must bear in mind that this UCLA-trained boy had a really bad time last season due to pain in his left knee. He missed only 15 games of regular season, but when he was on the floor he was physically limited. He couldn’t run, jump or move like he’s used to, and that was a major brake for the Bulls. Now, after a surgery carried out at the end of May, the reports suggest that he is fully recovered and without a doubt it is something that can make a difference. Last season DeMar DeRozan had to take on too much of a load at times, and while he responded great, sharing it with LaVine is an ideal scenario for a team that will need to regulate efforts to get to April as fresh as possible.

DeRozan, the great lace

We have already named it a couple of times, but now it’s time to give it its deserved space. DeRozan arrived at the Bulls in 2021 and one season has been enough for him to earn the respect of his new audience. The fit for him was immediate; so much so that he signed the best figures of his career by averaging 27.9 points per night with 35.2% in triples (numbers never seen). Obviously neither last year nor this year we are going to discover this talented player from Compton, but it is equally true that we could not imagine that his first steps would be simply excellent. His landing in Illinois was largely to blame for the fact that such good Bulls were seen and that they could only be offset by bad fortune, the one that still has Lonzo Ball in dry dock (indefinitely).

That’s how it is. The pair formed by LaVine and DeRozan is very good, but the trio with Ball was even better. This is another detail to take into account for the course that is so close to starting. The best Bulls of the 2021-22 campaign were seen when Lonzo was able to play. There were 35 games and in them the balance was 22-13. From that moment the team lost momentum until finishing with 46-36; that is, without the point guard they stayed at 24-23.

As we pointed out, bad fortune has not abandoned the point guard and recently he has undergone surgery to have to wait a few months for his return. Getting him back for this season and giving him time to get fit is vital. Without him they are a good team, but with him they take a much-needed step forward, as he brings both control in the game and defense; and of the latter they are not very abundant in the United Center.

23rd worst defense in 2021-22

This is the worst facet of Chicago last season and, therefore, where they should emphasize taking an important leap. Although they made it to the postseason by finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference, they were the 23rd worst defense in the NBA, conceding 113.2 points per 100 possessions. Needless to say, these are very poor numbers that led to a net rating negative of -0.5 points. With a base already formed and a team that has been generating chemistry since the summer of 2021, it’s time to push in this aspect if you want to be a team with real aspirations. We have already named Lonzo Ball (still out), but other guys like Alex Caruso or Patrick Williams, who also missed part of the previous campaign, should be the ones who lead the way in this regard.

New arrivals

Finally, we cannot ignore the small changes that the squad has undergone. It’s just a couple of tweaks, but done very logically. The first of them, the signing of Andre Drummond, responds to the need to cover Nikola Vucevic in the ‘five’ position. Obviously the Montenegrin will start and will play a lot of minutes, but when he rests the idea is to have some security under the basket regarding rebounding and intimidation. Drummond has gone downhill in his career, but if he’s focused he has the ability to fill such roles without a problem.

The other veteran who has landed in Chicago is Goran Dragic. The Slovenian point guard arrives in Illinois after a season complicated by injuries, but in which he ended up showing with the Nets that he still has basketball left. With Ball’s injury, having a player like Dragic, who is as capable of handling the pace of the game as he is of making his teammates play and scoring, seems like a fantastic decision. There are other guys who can play point guard like Ayo Dosunmu or Coby White, but Dragic’s security is another story.

These are the Bulls of 2022-23, a complete and deep team that should clear up some doubts, but that in any case has the base and depth to maintain the ascending line recently marked. The East will be very expensive, possibly more than the previous season with the improvement of other teams like the Cavaliers or the Hawks, but that does not intimidate Billy Donovan’s boys. They must show that they are back in the fight to stay.

the player to watch

Patrick Williams. There is a desire to see the 21-year-old forward at full capacity. In his rookie campaign he left good feelings, but when the next one came, a major injury to his left wrist stopped him in his tracks. He was finally able to play 17 games in which he was enormous in the outside shot to sign 51.7% in triples. We know he won’t be required to score with the likes of Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan as his teammates, but it doesn’t hurt to be able to release the ball to him with the confidence that he’s going to put it in. In any case, his role in the team is different. Since he landed in Illinois he has been assigned a role as a defender, as an intense player, as a physical contributor. He may sound secondary, but he is not. Great teams are built on defense and from there he can grow to be an essential part of the Bulls.

Preview NBA 2022-23 Chicago Bulls, forecast

Elio Martínez, director of nbamaniacs, leaves a personal and subjective forecast on what he thinks each franchise will do during the season in the previous NBA 2022-23.

I am afraid that at the end of the course we will talk about stagnation. I hope this forecast is wrong, but I doubt very much that the Bulls can improve their record from last season since DeRozan and Vucevic are still having years, Lonzo’s does not look good and it will be necessary to see the physical level of LaVine. To that we add the theoretical improvement of the Nets and Cavs and I get that the Bulls should stay at 44 wins with the 16th best record in the NBA, tied with the Lakers and Hawks.

Previous team analyzed: Brooklyn Nets. Next team: Minnesota Timberwolves.

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending