Chicago Bulls: Week in Review - Preseason Edition (10/13)

The Chicago Bulls haven’t been all too competitive in the past few seasons, they wen’t from a championship team in the 90s to obscure, then made a steady run with Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, now they’re the towards the bottom of the league in both expectations and output. So much so many fans have tuned out. Not to worry, even the casual of fans can keep up with the team with a little help. Here’s the week in review for the Chicago Bulls

As October pushed toward the end of the month, the NBA regular season is quickly approaching. The second week of October should give Bulls fans a little bit of hope:

Earlier in the week Guard Zach LaVine proclaimed his commitment to better defense:

‘‘I’m just tired of people talking sh*t about my defense. I’ve always been a good on-ball defender. But there’s no reason I can be this good offensively and not be that good on the defensive end. So I’m taking more pride in it. I’m pretty sure it’ll show.”

The Bulls could use a spark on defense while they search out ways to keep games closer this season. Finishing towards the bottom of the league last year in almost every way, the Bulls will need to find ways to dominate on at least one side of the ball.

Luol Deng signed with the Bulls again this week, this time to retire with the team he spend over nine years with.

“We’re very fortunate and humbled that Luol has chosen to retire as a Chicago Bull. He was a role model on and off the court during his nine-plus years in Chicago, and he gave everything he had to help us win. I want to thank Luol for not only what he accomplished on the court for the team, but also for the leadership he demonstrated through his philanthropic efforts.” said President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Reinsdorf.”

Bulls fans will remember Deng from the Rose and Butler lead runs that kept Chicago competitive.

Finally, the team seems to be in pursuit of SG Iman Shumpert. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic Shumpert has had conversations with a few teams including the Bulls. With a team that struggled as much as the Bulls have as of late, adding a few key pieces like Shumpert ought to keep fan interest slightly peaked. In today’s NBA, having someone who can shoot from deeper on the court is never a bad signing.

Scores:

There were back-to-back wins for the Bulls this week winning their only two games.

Sunday 10/13: Bulls: 105 vs Raptors: 91

Thursday 10/17: Hawks: 93 vs Bulls: 111

The Takeaway:

Chicago is steady scoring 100-115 points this preseason, if they’re going to make a run in the regular season they’ll either have to play more lockdown defense to keep it to a lower scoring affair. Otherwise, stepping up their scoring will have to be at the forefront of their focus. With playoff contenders that can run away with games the 115-125 scoring range typically is what sets them apart from the pack. Early in the season they’ll have to hold teams off while they find ways to score.