National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls: Takeaways From Preseason Opener

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:24 p.m. ET

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The Chicago Bulls fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 93-91. Here are the maintain takeaways from their preseason opener.

Oct 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls came into the preseason a far different team from the one fans saw from a year ago. Not only are there new veteran faces in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, the Bulls also have several players with less than three years of experience.

As was the case a year ago, the Bulls kicked off their preseason with a home game against their Central Division rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks.

In last year’s meeting, the Bulls came away with a 105-95 victory. This time around, though, the outcome was not a favorable one.

In the first half, Chicago looked like a team that was trying to find itself. With a less-than impressive showing in the first 24 minutes, the home team found itself trailing by a 55-42 margin at intermission.

The Bulls did manage to make things interesting in the second half, but it wasn’t enough, as the Bucks escaped with a 93-91 victory.

While the loss was disappointing, it is not an indicator of how well or poorly the Bulls will play this season. That being said, here are some of the notable takeaways from Chicago’s preseason opener.

Oct 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) hurts his ankle while defending Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Familiar Trend Rears Its Ugly Head

One factor that has been a concern for Hoiberg with his new-look roster is turnovers. As it turned out, there was a valid reason for those worries.

After the Bulls scored the first eight points of the game — en route to an early 16-5 advantage — turnovers and missed defensive assignments were a big part of the picture from that point on.

In the first half, the Bulls recorded 12 turnovers, eight of which occurred in the first quarter, which contributed to the double digit deficit that I spoke about earlier. For the game, Chicago finished with 22 turnovers — something that Hoiberg emphasized after the game.

“Those just kill you,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said, via the DailyHerald.com. “It puts your defense in jeopardy when you turn the ball over like that and you’re playing on your heels. Again, it comes down to taking care of the basketball. That’s been our biggest issue in practice, the turnovers. We’ve got to get that cleaned up.”

How significant were those turnovers?

Well, despite the fact the Bulls shot a better percentage from the field than their counterparts (46 to 38 percent), they still came up a bit short.

Simply put, the Bulls have to correct this trend over the next several weeks if they hope to improve their chances of being part of the conference playoff race.

Oct 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) dribbles the ball against Milwaukee Bucks forward Michael Beasley (9) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Dwyane Wade Plays Well In Bulls Debut

Dwyane Wade shocked the world when he decided to sign with the Bulls during the offseason. And after 13 seasons with the Miami Heat, Bulls fans were wondering how he would fare in his first game in a Bulls uniform.

Two words: quite well.

In just less than 12 minutes of action, Wade scored six points to go along with two rebounds and a pair of steals.

Even more important, the 12-time All-Star looked very comfortable shooting the ball from deep as he connected on both of his attempts from beyond the arc.

This stat is significant considering that Wade converted just seven three-pointers en route to shooting a career-low 15.9 percent from distance last season.

“I’ve been working a lot with coach,” Wade said, via ESPN. “Fred has been working me a lot after practice on my 3s, so I was like, ‘Why not?’ See where the first one goes. But just within the offense right now, everybody’s trying to find their way. We’re trying to get comfortable with the offense, so you’ve got to find your spots. Those were my two opportunities [from beyond the arc], and for the first two to go down, that’s pretty good. So that means I’ve got a couple more in the chamber for next game that I can shoot.”

I have to admit to being surprised when it was reported that Hoiberg has been encouraging Wade to take more open three-pointers during training camp. However, maybe, just maybe, the second-year head coach knew what he was talking about.

Apr 13, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) dribbles the ball past Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) during the fist quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Snell Sighting

To say that Tony Snell has played inconsistently during his tenure with the Bulls would be an understatement on multiple levels. Based on that assertion, it would be fair to say that Snell could be heading toward the exit door unless he is able to find a way to play well consistently.

Possibly sensing that his days are numbered, Snell played a like a guy who wants to be part of the rotation in the Bulls’ preseason opener. While Doug McDermott led the second unit with 13 points, Snell was next in line with 10 points to go along with four rebounds.

If you are a Bulls fan, you have seen this movie many times before. One moment, Snell has a good outing only to disappear for a seven-game stretch.

A few weeks ago, I boldly predicted that Snell will have a good season, and if that statement has any chance of holding true, he will need to put together more performances like this during the 2016-17 campaign.

Mar 23, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) and forward Taj Gibson (22) celebrate at the end of their NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets at United Center. Bulls won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Starting Power Forward Spot Still Up For Grabs

The lone position in the starting five that had not been determined was the starting power forward spot. Nikola Mirotic was considered the early favorite over Taj Gibson because he is a better floor spacer.

Against the Bucks, however, Mirotic did very little to improve his chances of claiming that spot. He scored just two points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field and missed all three of his attempts from three-point range.

Additionally, he finished with a minus-17 rating — the lowest mark of any player that took the court for both teams.

Meanwhile, Gibson was the model of consistency, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Despite Gibson’s production, Hoiberg advised that he may explore different options at the four spot when the Bulls play the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

That being said, Hoiberg is staying true to his word about this position being a wide open competition, something that was not the case last season when he benched Joakim Noah in favor of Mirotic.