After an historically dismal Game 1 road defeat to Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, our new-look Chicago Bulls kick off a back-to-back with a trip up I-94.
Anchored by our rising star forward core of Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls will look to lay the smackdown on the lowly Milwaukee Bucks. But they looked so bad against Toronto, in basically every facet of play, that one wonders if Chicago is more vulnerable to a fellow bottom-feeder than we had perhaps anticipated.
Transition scoring, ball control, and creation off the bounce were particularly troubling for the Bulls — but the long and lanky club also struggled defensively, basically to a man, against the stronger Raptors.
Quick film breakdown of the opening possessions of Bulls/Raptors last night which were a microcosm of the Bulls struggles on both sides (?) pic.twitter.com/8hMxGyDFrS
— Will Gottlieb (@WillGottlieb) October 22, 2026Both Central Division squads find themselves on the ground floor of multi-year rebuild projects (for Chicago, this is our third such rebuild since the Jimmy Butler trade), with their respective fans clinging to hope for the growth of intriguing lottery picks.
But Chicago, right now, is better than Milwaukee. I think.
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis shoots between Milwaukee Bucks forward Pete Nance and guard Kasparas Jakucionis.Game Info
Chicago Bulls (0-1) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (0-1) – 3 p.m. CT on Chicago Sports Network (TV) and WSCR 670 AM The Score (Radio)
Chicago Bulls
Josh Giddey Norman Powell Matas Buzelis Caleb Wilson Jalen SmithMilwaukee Bucks
Ryan Rollins Tyler Herro Jaime Jaquiez Jr. Kyle Kuzma Myles TurnerGame Lines
The Bucks are 1.5-point favorites on the road against the Bucks, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Quickley, Raptors Blow Out Bulls in Caleb Wilson’s Official NBA DebutBleacher Nation Fantasy
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What To Watch For
As discussed on the ol’ Bulls Bros podcast this week (shameless plug), man-to-man defense in the frontcourt could become an issue for this skinny Chicago squad — especially sans anticipated starting center Nicolas Claxton. Claxton should be back from his hamstring strain by early November. Until then, Chicago’s big men will rely on collective offense — specifically exploiting its pogo stick frontcourt’s verticality for offensive rebounding and the entire squad’s foot speed for fast break scoring — to hopefully outscore the opposition. Jalen Smith is a solid positional defender on the ground. Wilson, Buzelis, and forwards Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller can all block shots — but the young forwards are all a bit undisciplined on that end, and Splitter might emphasize transition over crashing the defensive glass. Wilson is going to have a massive opportunity to put up numbers against Milwaukee’s relatively undisciplined front line, outside of a declining Myles Turner. The Raptors clamped down and led to an inefficient NBA debut for Wilson (he went 7-for-21 and logged a dismal -45 plus-minus), but he should be able to blow by his defenders every which way in Cream City. Kyle Kuzma and Ousmane Dieng are hardly Kawhi Leonard or Scottie Barnes.One minute on Caleb Wilson's debut. Ballhandling and shooting were bad, way too many turnovers (9), but there was some good stuff too when I dove into the film. pic.twitter.com/HnY3uE0QdK
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) October 22, 2026 Buzelis and Josh Giddey both looked surprisingly tentative against Toronto. Buzelis did score 17 points, but most of his offense was generated inside. He shot 13-of-16 at the foul line, but took just eight field goal attempts (making just two). Giddey went 1-of-10 from the floor and 0-of-2 (oof) from the line. He did grab seven rebounds and pass for six assists. Buzelis, too, should be a bucket against the Bucks. With more of a featured role in Chicago’s offense than ever, he should utilize his epic hops to lay a statistical smackdown over an inferior team. In a shocker earlier this week, Milwaukee waived former 2025-26 starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. while retaining washed-up wing Caris LeVert. Ryan Rollins, a defense-first guard with some real upside, has assumed starting point guard duties — although long-term his destiny seems more like energy shifting backup. All-Star Tyler Herro and rookie lottery pick Brayden Burries, meanwhile, will offer up a far more exciting one-two punch at shooting guard. Burries is already looking like a keeper for the Bucks. Herro’s former Miami Heat teammate Norman Powell, however, will hopefully take this matchup personally. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Cody Williams defends Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson.Injury Report
Chicago Bulls
Nicolas Claxton OUT (hamstring) Tobe Awaka PROBABLE (left MCL) Zach Collins PROBABLE (right quadriceps) Josh Giddey PROBABLE (left wrist) Jordan Hawkins PROBABLE (illness) Dailyn Swain PROBABLE (illness)Milwaukee Bucks
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