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Chicago Bulls roundtable discussion: Welcome to the regular season, Bulls fans

By Michael Whitlow

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 13: Bobby Portis #5 of the Chicago Bulls and OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors dives for a lose ball during a preseason game at the United Center on October 13, 2017 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. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 13: Bobby Portis #5 of the Chicago Bulls and OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors dives for a lose ball during a preseason game at the United Center on October 13, 2017 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. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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MW: I have no expectations for this team other than making sure they put a ton of emphasis on their scouting because they need to nail this likely high draft pick in the worst way. Moving forward, who’s your guy to watch this season? Zach LaVine will be the main attraction, but he won’t be back for a bit. Who are you keeping an eye on?

DG: I’m keeping my eye on Kris Dunn this season. He is the point guard of the future or is it Cam Payne?

DB: Paul Zipser. The Zipser Fever never died over here, even if it (possibly) should have. Zipser should get the chance to start and play significant minutes this season, and I’m ready for another hard-nosed European wing on the Bulls. I miss you, Andres Nocioni.

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    • CB: I’m watching Denzel Valentine. I wrote a piece about it when I started on the site and the guy has a good chance to be a go-to scorer for this group, and he proved in college he can handle the ball. Not to mention how well he shot the ball from deep in the preseason. He may be one of the few guys on this roster who will be with the organization for the long haul.

    WL: I’ll go with two prospects with different levels of expectation: Lauri Markkanen and Antonio Blakeney. Obviously, if I’m forcing myself to watch the Bulls play pitiful basketball for 82 games this season, Markkanen’s progress is something I’ll want to track. GarPax didn’t spend their superstar shooting guard on the No. 7 pick for nothing. Blakeney, who went undrafted, seems like an incredible steal based on talent alone. Blakeney’s performances in preseason action made summer ball watchable and at times, he looked like the best Bull on the floor. He’s an interesting talent, that’s for sure.

    NN: Two words: Cristiano Felicio. I’m really excited to see Felicio develop this season and come into his own as a defensive big. I hope the Bulls throw him as many minutes as he can handle and we see some monster rebounding games from him. If he can work on cutting down on boneheaded plays and not bobbling the ball after every pass, he should be fun to watch develop on offense, too.

    MO: Excluding Lauri Markkanen, who is probably the top pick for most here, I’m going to say Denzel Valentine. I hated the Valentine draft pick from the second it happened. Not only did I not think Valentine projected well into the NBA, but it was just such a Bulls pick. Son of a coach? Check. Four-year college star? Check. Unathletic? Check. Now that the dust has settled, I’m willing to give the guy more of a chance. We know he can shoot. He shot 45 percent from deep in the preseason after shooting a respectable 37 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last season, per NBA.com. The Bulls should be letting him handle the ball more this season, akin to what he did as point-forward at Michigan State, so the opportunity will be much greater. He’ll probably never be able to defend, but he could carve himself a role in the NBA as a shooter and secondary playmaker.

    MP: It has to be Lauri Markkanen for me. Despite all of the mediocrity and drama that is going on, I think all Bulls fans should be excited to watch Markkanen play this season. He showed some serious skills in EuroBasket this past summer and he’s going to get a whole season to adjust to the NBA level and (hopefully) ball out. 

    DC: The Bulls have a lot riding on Lauri Markkanen so he’s going to be front and center. However, I’m going to focus on Justin Holiday. Why? Because I got him for $1 in my 20-team fantasy league and what a steal that would be if he’s the main guy on this squad until LaVine gets healthy. The Reinsdorfs only care about money. I think it’s fair that I only care about my fantasy team.

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