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Bulls Preseason Game No. 1: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

By Michael Whitlow

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It’s just the preseason opener, but there was some good (and some bad) to take away from Tuesday’s 105-95 victory for the Chicago Bulls. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from Tuesday’s 10-point victory.

Don’t tell Chicago Bulls fans that Tuesday was just the preseason opener. After quite the intriguing offseason, the Bulls found themselves on many lists as one of the most anticipated teams to watch for the 2015-16 NBA campaign.

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Through all of the injuries, surgeries, drama, feuds, coaching changes, and court changes, the Bulls were able to just play ball on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Both teams were shorthanded, but fans were able to get their first look at the new-look Bulls under Fred Hoiberg.

It was the preseason opener, so obviously, things were going to look awful at times in a preseason opener under a new coach. But, there was also some some good things to take away from Tuesday.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Bulls’ 105-95 victory over Milwaukee without Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, Kirk Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson.

The Good:

  • Jimmy Butler‘s playmaking: Butler did it all during his 25 minutes of action on Tuesday. The intriguing part of his game was the six assists. He certainly looked like a max-contract player. #LetJimmyBeHarden!
  • Doug McDermott‘s second-half shooting: He’s alive! McDermott caught fire in the second half and drained five three-pointers to tie Butler for a team-high 23 points.
  • 38 free throw attempts: 26-for-38 from the line isn’t the best percentage (68.4%), but 38 free throw attempts is a positive sign. The Bulls were an atrocious 3-for-20 from deep in the first half, but they were still getting to the line. That’s good.
  • Only five turnovers after a 10-turnover first half: The first half and second half were two totally different halves for the Bulls. Sure, the main guys for each team didn’t play as much, but the game seemed to flow better for the Bulls in the second half. How does 68 second half points sound?

The Bad:

  • The first half
  • Bobby Portis: Portis pulled down 14 rebounds (which is great), but only shot 2-for-12 on the night. The amount of shots around the rim he missed was the concerning part.
  • Cameron Bairstow: I could basically put the same thing for Bairstow that I did for Portis. He shot 2-of-11 from the floor with seven rebounds. But, it wasn’t all bad. He looked engaged defensively and had a couple blocks at the rim.
  • Aaron Brooks‘ shot selection, but I could put that here every night. (And, he actually made some.)

The Ugly:

  • DON’T JUMP, JIMMY! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Thoughts:

It was a good opener for the Bulls. It’s the preseason for one, and two, it’s the first game under a new head coach with a new offensive system. (Plus, half the roster was out for the night.) It was just like any other preseason game; you saw some bad, you saw some good.

For example: Doug McDermott couldn’t buy a shot in the first half. In the second half, he hardly missed.

The Bulls will probably have a light day on Wednesday (I actually typed that) and head to Colorado on Thursday for their first preseason game on the road against the Denver Nuggets.

Next: Hoiberg: Butler's hard work is paying off for him

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