With under a week until the regular season kicks off, Chicago will play in their final preseason game tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Like the last game, head coach Billy Donovan said this game will be a “ramp up” game toward regular season minutes. Four of the five starters played over 25 minutes in Tuesday’s loss, and tonight will feature a similar breakdown. What are the biggest things to keep tabs on in the Bulls’ final appearance before the regular season, and who’s yet to solidify their spot in the rotation?
Patrick Williams’ Effort Level
Patrick Williams will be the most closely monitored player tonight and this entire season. Entering a contract year where he’s proven very little to this point in his young career, the former fourth-overall selection will be under a magnifying glass by the coaching staff and management alike. He has averaged less than ten points per game to this point in his career and has shown flashes of potential, but offensively, he has been severely underwhelming for his draft position. It was disheartening to hear that even on Tuesday, the effort and focus levels were lacking for the 22-year-old in a season where he desperately needs to turn a corner.
Donovan has continued the sentiment that his young wing will significantly contribute to Chicago this season. Still, in the starting lineup, they need an improvement in rebounding, paint scoring, and aggressiveness offensively. The former Florida State Seminole has shown little to nothing in four preseason outings in those departments.
Starting Point Guard Battle Winner
If Coby White starts the fourth and final preseason game, that’ll lock up the point guard competition and give a clear preview of what to expect in the regular season. He’s been given the starting nod in the first four games and flourished. His only defect thus far is the turnover rate, which may lead to his return to the sixth-man role shortly after the regular season tips off. With his scoring volume and playmaking abilities, many thought he would be appointed the leader of the second unit because the starting lineup of LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic leaves little room for offense elsewhere.
Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter haven’t been very flashy this preseason but have proven to take care of the ball, defend at a high level, knock down open shots, and play without the ball in their hands. Dosunmu has shown the ability to play multiple positions and has earned a few more minutes thus far than Carter, and it would not be surprising to see him be given a starting opportunity down the road. Having started over half of the games in his two-year career, he’s been a consistent role player for Donovan’s lineups.
Shooting From Deep
Through four preseason games, Chicago is averaging 29 three-point attempts per contest. In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the Bulls finished dead last in three-point shots and were the only team leaguewide to average under 30 tries per game. Early in 2023, although the roster rotation hasn’t reflected what the regular season will be, it’s looking like the same story. In a three-point-driven league, ranking last in this category again would almost certainly prevent Chicago from winning many games.
Theoretically, the additions of Carter and Craig should help with this issue at 4.2 and 3.2 three-point attempts per game a season ago. Early in 2023, White and Dosunmu have each seemingly taken a leap in their shots from deep as well, but tonight will be another showing of the emphasis offensively for Donovan and the Bulls.
Keep an eye on Patrick Williams, who’s named the starting point guard, and the three-point urgency from Chicago tonight as they wrap up their 2023 offseason. Next stop: The 2023-24 regular season.
