Chicago Bulls: Game-by-game predictions through the month of October
Game 1: Charlotte Hornets
Date: Oct. 23
Location: Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC)
The regular season opener for the Chicago Bulls could be very telling of what’s to come this year. The Bulls need to get off on the right foot, and the declining Hornets are a good way to start things off. Charlotte lost a host of key talents during the summer, namely All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker. Kemba signed a max deal with the Boston Celtics during the offseason instead of returning to Charlotte.
”Buzz City” might be hoping to ride the young and promising players remaining on the roster to a brighter season than most would anticipate for them. The Hornets will be riding on the play of guys like veteran forward Marvin Williams and wing Miles Bridges. Those two could be good at the three and four spots for the Hornets this season.
Yet, this looks to be too good of an opportunity for head coach Jim Boylen and the Bulls to pass up on. This looks like the game where the Bulls start to turn it around and get on the right side of the win column more often than last season. The Bulls should be able to get an early jump on a Hornets team that will be thoroughly overmatched.
In his return to his home state of North Carolina, rookie point guard Coby White will have a nice game off the bench along with third-year power forward Lauri Markkanen. Coby and Lauri combine to shoot better than 50 percent from the field while the Hornets shoot 35 percent as a team behind a rapidly improving Bulls defense. Charlotte is a fun spot for this team to tip off the regular season.