National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls: Takeaways From Season Opener

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:07 p.m. ET

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The new-look Chicago Bulls kicked off their 2016-17 season with a 105-99 win over the Boston Celtics. Here are the main takeaways from their victory.

Oct 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) drives past Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

No one knew what to expect from a Chicago Bulls team that featured nine new faces on their 15-man roster. Some of the more prominent questions were, could three ball-dominant players co-exist on the court?

Would the chemistry be better than the group that Bulls fans saw last season? Even more importantly, how would all the new pieces fit together?

While the answers to those questions will take time to answer, what is a certainty is that the Bulls kicked off their season on a high note with a 105-99 victory against a Boston Celtics team that is expected to challenge for one of the top spots in the conference.

So without further ado, here are the main takeaways from Chicago’s impressive victory on opening night.

Oct 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (left) and center Robin Lopez (right) fight for a rebound against Boston Celtics center Al Horford (center) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Bulls Played With An Edge

One the factors that contributed to the Bulls failing to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years was a lack of toughness, something that executive vice president John Paxson spoke about in his postseason address.

From ESPN’s Nick Friedell:

“I do think that anybody who watched us play this year saw a team that didn’t have the collective fight or toughness that’s needed to battle through adversity. And to me, that’s the biggest disappointment in all of this. And again, that falls on all of us.”

Against the Celtics, however, that lack of toughness that Paxson mentioned was certainly not present, as evidenced by this exchange between Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder.

When Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas attempted to get in the middle of the skirmish, Rajon Rondo wasn’t having any of that, as those two exchanged words and a couple of shoves as well.

It is this kind of fight that both Paxson and Fred Hoiberg wanted to see from this team last year, but for whatever reason, it never materialized.

In the grand scheme of things, one game doesn’t mean that this will be a common theme throughout the duration of the season. But at least it is a step in the right direction.

Oct 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) makes a move defended by Boston Celtics forward Amir Johnson (90) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Taj Gibson Proves Why He Deserves To Start

As was the case last year, the starting power forward spot was up for grabs. Despite the open competition, though, Gibson quickly proved that he was the better choice over Nikola Mirotic.

During the preseason slate, Gibson led the Bulls in scoring with 13.8 points per contest on 64 percent shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Mirotic averaged just 7.5 points per outing while connecting on just 34 percent of his attempts.

Based on the numbers, it was of little surprise that Gibson was named as the starter coming into the season.

Fortunately for Gibson, that trend continued against the Celtics. In just 28 minutes of action, he scored 18 points and pulled down 10 boards while shooting an efficient 8-for-13 from the floor.

For all of the talk about not being a great floor spacer, Gibson continues to show that he can have a huge impact at both ends of the floor, something that Mirotic hasn’t learned how to do at this point in his career.

Sep 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) guard Rajon Rondo (9) and guard Dwayne Wade (3) pose for a photo during Bulls media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Bulls Unleash 3-Point Barrage

When the Bulls signed Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, the consensus was that the team would not have a ton of long-range shooting in the starting lineup.

This concern was a valid one being that Wade converted just 15.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc last season. And although Rondo did shoot 36.5 percent from three-point land last season, he is a career 29 percent shooter from distance.

The same can be said for Jimmy Butler, who connected on just 31 percent of his attempts from three-point range in 2015-16.

Taking those stats into consideration, there wasn’t much of a chance that these guys would shoot a high percentage from deep, right?

Wrong.

Rondo converted one of his two attempts from three-point territory, while both Wade and Butler shot 4-for-6 from beyond the arc — not too shabby for a group of players who have had their fair share of struggles shooting the long ball.

Along with that, the three alphas accounted for nine of Chicago’s 11 baskets from distance, something that few expected from this trio on opening night.

It would be unrealistic to think these guys will shoot at such an efficient rate from deep all season. At the same time, maybe, just maybe, the team’s perceived shooting woes won’t be as bad as previously advertised.

Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Atlanta defeated Chicago 97-81. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

D-Wade Silence Critics

Wade coming back to play basketball for the team he grew up idolizing was a feel-good story to say the least. However, in the eyes of some, this signing took place five or six years too late.

After all, Wade is now in the twilight of his career at 34 years of age and is playing in his 14th NBA season. Furthermore, although he did have 74 appearances with the Miami Heat last season, that was the most games he had played in five years.

But like he has done for most of his career, Wade proved that he can still be an impact player in his Bulls debut against the Celtics.

Not only did he chip in with 22 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists, the 12-time All-Star showed the United Center faithful that he can make clutch shots with the best of them.

Wade’s three-pointer proved to be the game-winner after the Bulls nearly relinquished what was once a 15-point lead.

The main observation from this performance is, as long as Wade and the other star players continue to shine in big moments, the Bulls have more than an outside chance of clinching a postseason berth this season.