Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

3 questions after Chicago Bulls’ first two preseason games

By Willie Lutz

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 04: Seth Curry #30 of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball against Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls in the first half at American Airlines Center on October 4, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 04: Seth Curry #30 of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball against Justin Holiday #7 of the Chicago Bulls in the first half at American Airlines Center on October 4, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and Denzel Valentine of the Chicago Bulls.
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 25: Kris Dunn #32, Zach LaVine #8 and Denzel Valentine #45 of the Chicago Bulls pose for a portrait during the 2017-18 NBA Media Day on September 25, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Who takes the last shot?

There are guys on this team that’ll be around when the Bulls start contending. They’ll learn to win together. They’ll learn to lose together. It’s an important phase for a rebuild to undertake.

As for now, it’s hard to imagine the Bulls winning many games in blow-out fashion. Wins will come down to final possessions and last shots with some regularity. Good teams find comfort in their go-to guy in late game situations. 

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The only member of this Bulls’ team I’d really trust with the ball in his hands late in a game would have to be Robin Lopez. So, by that logic, you’re screwed if you need a 3.

It might be a little while before we hear from Zach LaVine, but for now, is Nikola Mirotic who you want hitting your 3-pointer at the buzzer? If I’m calling the shots, I’d trend towards the ‘no’ button.

Can Mirotic hit the 3? Yep, that’s why the Bulls inked him to a $27 million deal. Would a head coach trust him with the game on the line? I doubt it.

As for the rest of ’em? Yeah, I don’t know if Jerian Grant, Kris Dunn, Justin Holiday, etc., are the guys I want in the closing seconds of a game, but hey, I don’t make the roster. If it were up to me, Antonio Blakeney starts 82 games this season. Again, I don’t have a say and I have nothing to lose.

Maybe we’ll learn something from the last two first-round picks. 2016’s No. 14 pick Denzel Valentine needs to take a step forward as a whole, while 2017’s No. 7 pick Lauri Markkanen looked like the real deal during EuroBasket.

I’m not opposed to seeing Markkanen take big shots as the season progresses. He’ll have to learn how to do it at some point anyway.

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