Chicago Bulls: Opener presents opportunity to dominate young Pistons

The start of a new time in Chicago Bulls basketball arrives on the night of Oct. 20. Second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls are getting set to square up against the young and increasingly talented Detroit Pistons on the road to begin the regular season. This is the start of what could be the end of the postseason drought for the Bulls after missing out on the playoffs for four consecutive years.

Finishing up the preseason with a spotless record of 4-0, you would assume that this Bulls team has some momentum heading into the regular season. Three of the four Bulls wins during the preseason were by convincing double-digit margins too.

This could also be the first step in star shooting guard Zach LaVine making it to the postseason for the first time in his career. LaVine managed to go seven years in the NBA without having a single winning season or making it to the postseason.

About the most success that LaVine had since taking his talents to the NBA was in the Gold Medal run with the United States during the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, during the offseason. This will be a chance for LaVine to turn the page in terms of the narrative of postseason success in his career.

The highly-awaited debut of star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan is also set to arrive for the Bulls on Oct. 20. The former San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors veteran four-time All-Star was brought in during the offseason on a big-time sign-and-trade deal. DeRozan should also be a huge catalyst to more Bulls’ success in the win column this season.

DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine hoping to power the Chicago Bulls to a win over the Pistons in the regular season opener

LaVine and DeRozan look to spearhead a Bulls’ starting unit that has a lot of potential this season. Others that should be included in this starting unit during the regular season are point guard Lonzo Ball, forward Patrick Williams, and star center Nikola Vucevic.

And it helps the Bulls’ chances in this game that the Pistons are missing what could be their best player this season in rookie point guard Cade Cunningham. The first overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft Cunningham is out in this game due to an ankle injury.

Cade could also miss the second meeting between the Bulls and Pistons of the regular season, which is set to come on Oct. 23 at the United Center in Chicago.

With Cade out, the likes of LaVine and Lonzo are likely to be matched up against Killian Hayes and either Josh Jackson or Hamidou Diallo in the Pistons starting backcourt. That could be a big edge that the Bulls get in this game.

Now, one of the key matchups in this game is likely to be the Pistons having star forward Jerami Grant defending DeRozan. The Bulls will likely want P-Will defending Grant. But Grant should be a capable defender for DeRozan to take on in his first regular season game with the Bulls.

Where the Bulls have to take advantage of a young and shorthanded Pistons team in this game is with the matchups across the rest of the starting unit. The Bulls should hold a sizable edge, especially on the offensive end of the floor, with how they match up with the Pistons.

All in all, the Bulls are looking to improve on the 31-41 mark they posted last season in the first year under Donovan’s direction. Making the play-in tournament should be the bare minimum expectation this season. And that all starts with getting a win over a key division foe in the Pistons in the opener on Oct. 20.

Tip-off time between the Bulls and Pistons on Oct. 20 is set for 6 p.m. CT at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Bulls are five-point favorites ahead of tip-off in the regular season opener.