Jazz, Mavericks, Timberwolves and Hawks – 4th-10th November

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Last week seemed to be a pretty solid summary of what the Bulls season will look like. Lots of running and shooting threes. Some hot streaks, some cold streaks, a few exciting come-from-behind wins, and a crushing loss to a team more talented than that due to a few defensive mistakes.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a week, and we’re in for a rollercoaster of a season. But I’m completely okay with that. For most of this season, I liked how the Bulls and Billy Donovan approached the 2024-25 season. They were fully focused on adapting offensively and playing a run-and-shoot offense. They play fast, make threes, and try to become a more modern NBA offense compared to DeMar DeRozan.

If we have to complain, it’s probably because Matas Buzelis doesn’t have a chance to develop spontaneously. I understand he needs to earn playing time and you don’t want to destroy confidence by playing against someone who isn’t quite ready. However, Buzelis isn’t someone who lacks confidence in his game, and while he’s a little raw, he’s no slouch athletically on the NBA floor. I think we’ll see him get more time as the year goes on, but I’d like to see the Bulls give him a longer leash right from the jump.

However, apart from Buzelis’ missing minutes, I’m happy. Coby White looked pretty solid and the new offense suits him well. Josh Giddey did a great job running the show and being just good enough behind the scenes. He certainly leaves a lot to be desired defensively, but we know that’s still a work in progress.

Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine are playing well enough to increase their trade value, which is also a big win. Jalen Smith and Julian Phillips provided solid minutes off the bench. Meanwhile, Ayo Dosunmu struggled to shoot the ball at times, but he still found ways to influence the game.

Rebuilds are about finding and further developing building blocks for the future. That’s what we’re looking for. If Coby White and Josh Giddey keep playing like this, they’ll look like real building blocks. If Vooch and LaVine keep it up, they might help sign some others. The record will probably be bad this season, but as long as the team plays like this and does “fun bad,” this can be a successful year.

Meet the Bulls’ opponents

11/04 against Jazz: Utah is winless and it should stay that way.

11/6 at Mavericks: It feels like there could be A LOT of points in this one

11/7 vs. Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards – still very good!

9.11. at Hawks: Play-in game Grudge Match!!

Projected lineup of the Bulls

1. Coby White
2. Josh Giddey
3. Zach LaVine
4. Patrick Williams
5. Nikola Vucevic

Planned formation of the opponent

Utah Jazz

1. Collin Sexton
2. Keyonte George
3. Cody Williams
4. Lauri Markkanen
5. Walker Kessler

Dallas Mavericks

1. Luka Doncic
2. Kyrie Irving
3. Klay Thompson
4. PJ Washington
5. Daniel Gafford

Minnesota Timberwolves

1. Mike Conley
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Jaden McDaniels
4. Julius Randle
5. Rudy Gobert

Atlanta Hawks

1. Trae Young
2. Dyson Daniels
3. Zacharie Risacher
4. Jalen Johnson
5. Clint Capela

Unavailable/injured (early week)

Bulls: Josh Giddey PROBABLE (Illness), Jalen Smith PROBABLE (Knee), Patrick Williams PROBABLE (Shoulder), Zach LaVine QUESTIONABLE (Shoulder), Lonzo Ball OUT (Wrist)

Jazz: Lauri Markkanen QUESTIONABLE (back), Isaiah Collier OUT (thigh), Jordan Clarkson OUT (thigh), Taylor Hendricks OUT (ankle)

Outsider: Maxi Kleber QUESTIONABLE (thigh), Dante Exum OUT (wrist)

Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

Falcons: Onyeka Okongwu QUESTIONABLE (toe), Cody Zeller QUESTIONABLE (personal), De’Andre Hunter QUESTIONABLE (knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic AUS (thigh)

What you should pay attention to:

Bulls: This is going to sound like a broken record, but just keep playing at the tempo and making threes! Chicago still has a strange travel schedule and they’re a bit of a mess early in the season. It’s a bit strange but they handled it well and got off to a better start than I expected given the difficult first five games. I would like to see Ayo shoot a little more consistently, and he always seems to play well against Atlanta. So maybe this game can help him get back on track. But overall, what we’ve seen from the Bulls so far is what I’d like to see in the future.

Jazz: Utah is…not good. Lauri Markkanen is injured, but got off to a good start and will make a game-winning decision tonight. Apart from Lauri, however, the team had major problems. Their draft picks weren’t particularly impressive. The Jazz come into play on Monday still hoping for their first win. So let’s hope Chicago doesn’t give this one to them.

Outsider: I was a little surprised that Dallas had so little offense this year. In the 2023-24 season, they ranked 11th in the NBA as a team with 115.3 points per game, but this year they rank 22nd with just 110.3 points per game. And that’s with a healthy lineup and a new Klay Thompson, who isn’t quite what he once was but is still a sharpshooter from deep. They’ll likely add a bit to the total, but it’s fair to wonder if this group is a real contender in the West or if it got hot at just the right time last year. Still, Luka Doncic is terrifying.

Timberwolves: Watching how Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo fit into this lineup will be an exciting story all year long. Anthony Edwards has also picked up right where he left off last season, averaging 28.3 points per game and shooting over 43 percent from three-point range. Rudy Gobert is on the injury report heading into this week, but I expect to see him in action on Thursday night.

Falcons: If the Bulls are in full rebuild mode, Atlanta could be right behind them. The story there all season will be what happens to Trae Young. He is in a very similar contract situation with Zach LaVine. He has two years left with a player option for a third, and Young will pay $43 million or more every three years. Atlanta will hope he plays well and they can find someone willing to sign him because it seems like it just isn’t working out for the Hawks.