The new-era Bulls have completed their initiation process, playing their first preseason together as a group, and we got back a mixed bag of results. Three wins and two losses in games that don’t leave an impact on the team’s record should always be taken with a grain of salt.
But that also doesn’t mean we’ll stop talking Bulls basketball here. Before the season kicks off, we should take a look at what we saw from the Bulls and rate their performances. Not to form any preconceived notions about these players, but to have something to keep in the back of your mind heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.
I will say that these grades are relative to the expectations we have for those player, not an overall comparison of the roster. So, let’s rip the Band-Aid off and grade these Bulls preseason performances, shall we?
Incomplete Bulls Grades
Players: Zach Collins, Nic Claxton, Jalen Bridges, Brandon Boston, Drew Peterson, Jaylin Sellers
Limited minutes and incomplete performances automatically eliminate you from contention here. There simply wasn’t enough on the court to fairly judge these guys.
Jaylin Sellers’ one game was pretty good and definitely had its fair share of highlights, but one game isn’t enough to form a grade. Sorry, Jaylin.
Jaylin Sellers locked in last night. pic.twitter.com/6041afGNTX
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 17, 2026 Buddy Hield. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade D – Hield, & Williams
It’s only preseason basketball, but there isn’t a whole lot of good to say about Buddy Hield and Patrick Williams.
Hield did have one good game against the Denver Nuggets, but it says a lot when the three-point specialist with a permanent roster spot made just one more three than two-way player Jordan Hawkins, despite Hawkins playing three fewer games.
Patrick Williams hit a couple of threes in a few games, but outside of that, it was pretty much regular P-Will stuff. And with the Bulls’ very stacked forward depth, he could find himself buried pretty quickly.
Josh Giddey. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade C – Giddey, Swain, Essengue, Robinson & Okoro
Reiterating the relative-to-expectations part, Josh Giddey and Isaac Okoro were alright.
Giddey showcased his elite passing chops, but I’ll be honest, it was a bit disappointing not to see him score the ball as much. I was high on Giddey last season, like really high, and when he was on the floor, his multifaceted offense was really eye-catching. Seeing him be limited to just the ball-handler and playmaker role irks me a bit, but it’s okay. Someone has to sacrifice their scoring for others.
Where does Josh Giddey fit in Chicago’s new rebuild?? pic.twitter.com/OljMWFGDTx
— ENJ?Y (@EnjoyBBall) October 16, 2026Okoro has impressed head coach Tiago Splitter, who has called him the team’s best perimeter defender. But in the two-and-a-half games he did play, he was a positive on the floor in just one. Sort of what you expect from Okoro.
Dailyn Swain and Noa Essengue impressed me during preseason, but I wouldn’t say the box score necessarily defined that. It’s an eye-test measure, but also a reflection of how low the expectations were for both of them.
Once Swain started playing off the ball, his cutting and rim running were impressive. Noa was setting good screens, rebounding the ball and looking like a player who wanted to at least carve out a role for himself.
ball is MOVING ?Dailyn Swain in transition pic.twitter.com/vOFt4tZBYK
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) October 17, 2026I don’t know how much of the two of them we’ll see on the main roster this season, but it was a decent preseason from both of them, to say the least.
Also, really liked what I saw from Orlando Robinson in his limited role, and hope that at least the Windy City Bulls pick him for the upcoming season.
Grade B – Powell, Jones, Hawkins, & Awaka
Closer to the top than the bottom, Norman Powell, Jordan Hawkins, Tobe Awaka and Tre Jones round out the B-Grade.
For Powell and Jones, they’re established players and, as a result, played fewer games than the young guys. But what Chicago brought them in for, scoring and playmaking, respectively, they showcased on multiple occasions. And that’s really what it comes down to at the end of the day. They did what they were supposed to do despite the limited run.
Tobe Awaka and Jordan Hawkins outplayed their expectations. The only reason they’re at a B is because we saw just one really good game from each of them. Awaka’s double-double against Phoenix and Hawkins’ 6-of-8 shooting from three across his two games deserve their flowers and definitely make an argument for Bryson Graham finding some of the best two-way players we’ve seen as Bulls fans.
Caleb Wilson. Credits: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesGrade A – Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, & Jalen Smith
Down to the class toppers, Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith all deserve the A-grade.
Jalen Smith, being the only real big in the lineup, definitely got a boost from the opportunity and took full advantage of it by playing some amazing basketball. His versatility to hit threes, defend, crash the offensive glass for second-chance points and help the scoreboard would be enough for me to start him over Nic Claxton this season. His best game came against the Suns, where he finished with a stat line of 13 points, 8 rebounds (5 offensive) and 2 steals on 62% shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc.
Matas Buzelis spoke a lot in the offseason about feeling a bit restricted under the previous regime and not really showing all the best parts of his game. In the preseason, we saw that. Matas was super aggressive, slashing almost every time he had the ball. His three-point shooting was a bit inconsistent, but he didn’t rely on it, which was amazing to see. He’s also playing as the team’s point-of-attack defender, which will be fun to watch this season as well.
And finally, Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson ended his preseason exactly as a top-rated, raw star would. Great performances and highlights, but far from being the perfect player. Everyone knew Caleb Wilson would be a project, and everything from his defense to his passing to his three-point shooting has room to improve. But he wanted to be the team’s leader on the floor, and he at least played like it.
Caleb generated offense for himself when his shots weren’t falling, scored in double digits every night and finished the Summer League with the second-most points in the NBA. Caleb is special and had a great preseason, but the best part is that he has a lot of room to grow.
Chicago Bulls forward Leonard Miller. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade A+ – Leonard Miller
And finally, the cream of the crop, and the best preseason player for the Chicago Bulls, bar none, was Leonard Miller. Miller finished ahead of everyone in the NBA in total preseason points and had consistently big performances to get him there.
Leonard Miller is leading the entire NBA in points in the preseason. pic.twitter.com/nvv8lTWYEW
— Real App (@realapp) October 17, 2026Against Phoenix, he had 14 points on 71% from the field.
Against Memphis, he had 12 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Then came 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals on 64% shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
Against his former team in Minnesota, he had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.
And then his best game of 26 points and 7 rebounds on 79% shooting from the field and 67% from three was just as ludicrous as it sounds.
By the way, all of this was off the bench.
To add to that, Tiago Splitter played Miller in a small-ball five role, something we haven’t really seen from him before, and that didn’t deter him either. I saw someone make the Jimmy Butler comparison, and obviously, Jimmy was the much better defender. But the aggression with which they both play is hard to miss.
.@LeonardMi11er was on fire tonight in Denver ? t.co/Ca0gkrskZy pic.twitter.com/a4A13jha9P
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2026Miller is efficient, a rim runner, a screen setter and a workhorse on the glass. Extension eligible this season, if Leonard Miller can keep this up, he could be in the race for both Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year.
The best part about all of this is the confidence he has in the work he’s putting in, making these results seem not surprising at all to him.
Year 4 Lenny is prepared for his opportunity ? pic.twitter.com/c6eZRIMWgZ
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) October 15, 2026Man, I love Leonard Miller.
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