Chicago Bulls Season Ahead!

Photo Credit: https://www.axs.com/chicago-bulls-guard-zach-lavine-cleared-for-contact-125693

The season is just around the corner, and the Baby Bulls (NBA's youngest team) are looking to make some noise in a LeBronless Eastern Conference. "It's about time!," says Management. They have had quite some battles against that man, and hopefully they can regain that feel of the old days when playoffs and rings were the mission. Nevertheless the Bulls had quite a busy off-season in the wake of becoming the next team up next in the Eastern Conference.

2018 Offseason:

Re-signing(s): Zach Lavine

Signing(s): Jabari Parker

Draftee(s): Wendell Carter Jr., Rawle Alkins, and Chandler Hutchinson

For a team that finished near the bottom of all major statistical categories, except being #1 in attendance, the Bulls have a tall wall to climb if they are looking to make a playoff berth during the 2018-2019 campaign. Where to begin? Defensively, they were unable to stop anybody, ranking 27th out of 30 in that area. Offensively, they were just as problematic, ranking 26th out of 30 in that area. In order for them to improve, the play has to be better across the board. The starting unit which should consist of: Kriss Dunn, Zach Lavine, Jabari Parker, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., should be a dynamic group. They bring the new era NBA to the United Center: spacing, and athleticism. Shooting consistently will be an issue. None of the starters shoots over .370 from behind the arc. Jabari, will be featured as a bonafide scorer on that end, so it should take and ease the load off Lavine and Markkanen.

With a plethora of big's on the bench, they will need to figure out what to do with the likes of: Robin Lopez, Bobby Portis, Omer Asik, and Cristiano Felicio, it'll be hard to give all of them minutes with the emergence of the talented Markkanen and Carter Jr. They will need some needed scoring from that bunch in order for the Bulls to make some noise in the East. Let's face it, whom do we identify as a pure, run the offense through him, type coming off the Bulls bench. Now, if they play as a unit, they should be great. Antonio Blakeney, Denzel Valentine, Justin Holiday, and Bobby Portis could be featured as the group that spells the starting unit. However, the young Bull on the Summer League team, Hutchinson, seemed to have a shooters touch and knack for putting the ball in the rim.

Nevertheless, if they run, play solid defense, and are consistent, then the Bulls should look to fight for the 7th or 8th playoff spot. If all goes wrong, they'll be in the draft lottery again, and can add another piece to shape and mold this roster as they want too. At the end of the day, at an age average at 24, the Bulls can grow into a nice team, if they all develop and put in the time needed to get better.

On Another Note:

It looks like they won the trade that shipped Jimmy to Minny for Lavine, Dunn and the rights to Larry, because Jimmy wants out in a bad way. So, kudos to the team for depleting Minny while rebranding their franchise.

Get well soon:

Prized second year man, Lauri Markkanen, will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks as he recovers from a harsh shoulder injury. The Bulls, will need more production from the likes of: Jabari Parker, Zach Lavine and company, if they look to make an immediate jump in the beginning of the season. At 7’0” with a nice jump shot, athleticism and wits, it’ll be hard to get the production that Lauri provided during his first tenor in the NBA. He possessed a rookie statline of: 15.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG while shooting 43.4% and 36.2% from the arc. Look for rookie, Wendell Carter Jr., to make an impact as he’ll be featured in the post in Markkanen absence.

Prediction for the season:

Celtics, Raptors, 76ers, Indy, Wizards, and Bucks all look like for sure locks for the playoffs. Can the Bulls make it? Yes! It'll be hard for them considering they are a young group. However, outside of the Pistons, the Bulls have the next best bubble roster to land one of those lasting positions. Hopefully they won't allow the injury to Lauri Markkanen affect them too much.

Next Game:

Wednesday, October 3, 2018, at The Bucks

Stats courtesy of basketball-reference.com

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