I could sit here and give you a normal recap of the Chicago Bulls‘ tight loss to the Indiana Pacers. But does this team even deserve that?
For the third consecutive game, the Bulls have lost to one of the NBA’s worst. They started things off by allowing a season-high to the two-win New Orleans Pelicans. Then, they struggled on the road against the four-win Charlotte Hornets. Now, with a matchup against the three-win Indiana Pacers, the Bulls blow a late lead and fall below .500 for the first time this season (9-10).
I know it may feel like a fever dream at this point, but the Bulls are only a couple of weeks removed from sitting at 6-1 as one of the NBA’s biggest party crashers. They were playing an infectious and enjoyable brand of basketball that relied on excellent depth and high-level ball movement. Even if they were lacking an obvious star contributor and benefited from some poor opponent shooting from deep, the hot start felt encouraging for such a young group.
Fast forward to tonight’s loss, and those encouraging vibes are nowhere to be found. The Bulls look like a shell of their former self, and it’s becoming hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If they can’t manage to look like their October self against these teams, how can we expect them to do it at all again this season?
I know we’re only 19 games into the regular season. There is a whole lot more story that has to be written. However, I’m not sure that story will have much to do with the win-loss column or on-court results. Instead, the Bulls have put themselves in a position where they will have to answer many of the questions fans had heading into the year. Is it time to trade Coby White? What about Ayo Dosunmu? Should lottery odds take priority in a year with such a tantalizing Top 10? Can you find a suitor for Nikola Vucevic, who ended tonight with a bricked triple and muffed go-ahead layup in the final seconds? Is it time for Noa Essengue minutes, especially after you let Lachlan Olbrich and Emanuel Miller run wild?
Some might argue it’s too soon to throw out any of those questions, but how could I not after the team goes 3-9 in their last 12 contests and loses to this level of competition? Again, these were already big topics of conversation coming into the year, and the Bulls were able to kick the can down the road with a shocking start. They have caught back up to the can.
Heck, it also feels worth throwing out those questions as I type up my final box score here on BN. What a picture-perfect ending! All I have tried to do over the last handful of years is dig through the mud and find narratives that would keep fans invested. As I seal up my last cardboard box and longly look back at the home I’m leaving behind, I think it’s important to continue to do precisely that. Some fans might throw in the towel, but I never will. There is always something to talk about. Always something to look forward to. Remember, sports are supposed to be fun … even if the Bulls do everything in their power to make us think otherwise.
Player Grades
Tre Jones – AStats: 17 PTS, 2 AST, 1 REB
Billy Donovan leaned on Tre Jones down the stretch, and he should continue to over the next handful of games. The guard saw his minutes decrease with the return of Coby White, but the Bulls really need his attention to detail.
Josh Giddey – B+Stats: 17 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST
Josh Giddey did his part to put the Bulls in a position to win this game with a 7-13 shooting display from the field and a +9 performance overall.
Lachlan Olbrich – BStats: 2 PTS, 3 REB
The second-round rookie got his first taste of NBA action tonight, so I’m grading on a curve. He gave the team some pretty physical minutes, which is what they needed with both their backup centers sidelined.
Emanuel Miller – B-Stats: 6 PTS, 1 REB, 1 STL
Emanuel Miller gets a similar boost to his grade. Clocking only 7 minutes, the two-way forward brought a good level of urgency and aggressiveness.
Kevin Huerter – CStats: 15 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL
Kevin Huerter looked a little more like his effective early-season self tonight as he rejoined the starting lineup.
Ayo Dosunmu – CStats: 15 PTS, 4 AST, 4 REB
Ayo Dosunmu bounced back from a season-low scoring performance against the Hornets, but the Bulls still could have used more at times offensively with Coby White in street clothes.
Nikola Vucevic – C-Stats: 16 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST
Speaking of needing more offensively, Nikola Vucevic had an extremely rough end to this game. The veteran bricked a three and came up empty on the go-ahead layup attempt on Jay Huff.
Matas Buzelis – C-Stats: 8 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST
Matas Buzelis continues to look a step slow scoring the basketball, but I appreciate his more physical effort on the glass tonight.
Patrick Williams – D+Stats: 2 PTS, 2 REB
With no Jalen Smith, the Bulls had to get a bigger game from Patrick Williams in the frontcourt.
Chicago Bulls Box Score
Check out the full box score here.
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