Thanks largely to Matas Buzelis, the Chicago Bulls ended the preseason on a high note.
The second-year forward destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in transition all night long, throwing down four emphatic dunks. Dropping 19 points for the third time in five exhibition games, Buzelis finished the preseason averaging 17.6 points on 57.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent shooting from long range.
While the return of Coby White on (hopefully) opening night may take away some scoring opportunities from Buzelis, I actually do think what we saw over the last two weeks is pretty transferable. The thing about Buzelis is that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to find the bottom of the net. Whether it be throwing down alley-oop slams or splashing catch-and-shoot threes, Buzelis’ sheer versatility is arguably his greatest strength.
All things considered, I’d say the Chicago Bulls’ 3-2 preseason was encouraging. The offense is going to be VERY fun to watch. They finished Top 12 in offensive rating over the five games and Top 4 in assist percentage. This group is extremely fast and unselfish, which typically leads to a pretty entertaining brand of basketball. Likewise, in addition to Buzelis’ strong play, Josh Giddey looked increasingly comfortable, Tre Jones showed why the team re-signed him, Zach Collins had some great backup minutes, and even Dalen Terry showed glimpses of being a more well-rounded role player. I’ll take that. I also left even more optimistic about Noa Essengue. While I don’t believe these five games will drastically change how Billy Donovan plans to develop him this season, I do think the 18-year-old showed why the franchise took a chance on him in the late lottery. His innate feel for the game has really stood out since Summer League. Are the skills raw? Absolutely, and he needs a lot of work in the weight room. But Essengue has consistently put himself in the right spots and has made his presence felt. He may look young out there, but he doesn’t look lost. I think that’s really important. With all that said, it’s not as if I’m changing my expectations for this Chicago Bulls team heading into 2025-26. They are still in line to be one of the NBA’s most mediocre squads, and a big reason for that is their defensive execution. Does it take more than five preseason games to develop a defensive identity? Sure, but the Bulls showed very few signs of being able to hold their own on that side of the ball. They held the 25th-ranked defensive rating in the preseason and allowed their opponents to score the 25th-most points in the paint. The physicality didn’t even lead to more turnovers, as they forced the second-fewest. Also, if we’re being honest, I fear the Chicago Bulls played a lot harder than most teams. This is a young and motivated group, which is a good thing! But that could also lend itself to taking these preseason games a little more seriously than teams like the Cavaliers, Bucks, and Timberwolves. Let’s be honest, we all still believe that those three squads would demoralize this Bulls team in the regular season. I’ll believe that’s not the case when I see it. Oct 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) defends against Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) during the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images For what it’s worth, the Chicago Bulls ended up sitting a handful of players for last night’s preseason finale with varying injuries. Joining White on the sideline were Isaac Okoro, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Williams. Head coach Billy Donovan labeled the absence of the latter two as “precautionary.” Dosunmu was dealing with thumb soreness, while Williams was experiencing hamstring tightness. I want to take Donovan’s word for it, but those do sound like tweaks we will want to keep an eye on as opening night nears. As for Okoro, his issue sounds a little more concerning. The forward has been experiencing knee soreness since the second half against Denver. If he has to miss any time at all, the defensive concerns will grow even louder (and they’re already blaring)! The good news is that Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, and Julian Phillips were all about to return for the preseason finale. Phillips, in particular, put together his best outing yet. The third-year forward and former second-round pick dropped 17 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. I continue to hold out some hope for Phillips. He is a freak athlete who should benefit quite a bit from having more ball handlers who can find him in the fastbreak and when cutting hard to the rim. There is also real upside there as an offensive rebounder and putback guy. His verticality is just ridiculous. I know some scoffed at this headline, but the Chicago Bulls did build a reputation for being one of the better three-point shooting teams last season. I’m not sure that will stick around this year … The Chicago Bulls May Not Be As Strong of a Shooting Team as You Think … Dalen Terry is ready to ball …Can the real szn start now ? t.co/6hDLnehU9E
— Dalen Terry (@DalenTerry) October 17, 2025 Why does every Chicago team refuse to spend money like the big-market team they are? Break that cycle, Jed Hoyer! The Blackhawks could be taking a big step in the right direction thanks to Frank Nazar. Speaking of Blackhawks youngsters, we have our second NHL promo available on Bleacher Nation Fantasy tonight. New users can select MORE than 0.5 saves for Chicago goalie Spencer Knight. Easy money! One important name was added to the Bears’ injury report this week.MORE FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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