Former Bucks star blasts Bulls’ Tristan Thompson after Game 1

The Chicago Bulls dropped Game 1 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Chicago’s stars had a less-than-memorable game, combining for 21-of-71 from the field. Despite their poor shooting, the team managed to have multiple opportunities to take control of the game late in the fourth quarter. They were unable to capitalize on each opportunity, losing 93-86.

There were plenty of takeaways from the game, the biggest being the production from the top players. In a strange turn of events, former Bucks star Brandon Jennings had a different takeaway from what had transpired.

In a since-deleted tweet, Jennings blamed Bulls’ backup center Tristan Thompson for the team’s loss, slamming the veteran for negatively influencing the roster.

Thompson joined Chicago after the trade deadline and a brief stop in Sacramento. Prior to his time with the Kings, Thompson spent his entire career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brandon Jennings called out Bulls veteran Tristan Thompson

Jennings made the point that Thompson’s Cavaliers run wasn’t the successful tenure that many view it as. The Bulls started the year off on a hot streak, quickly rising to the top of the Eastern Conference. They had a top-10 defense and offense and their leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan, was a legitimate MVP candidate while Zach LaVine was an All-NBA lock.

Injuries and opposing team adjustments shot Chicago down to the No. 6 seed in the East, eliminating DeRozan’s MVP candidacy and LaVine’s All-NBA hopes.

The fall from grace began in Thompson’s first game with the Bulls. The team lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 24, and only won seven games from that point forward. Thompson has made headlines for visibly critiquing the team on the bench, calling them out in media availabilities, and getting technical fouls at the end of losses.

The Bulls’ woes can’t be placed on Thompson, however, the team’s overall defense has failed them since mid-February. Injuries to key role players have played a part in the decline, but the players available have to step up, specifically on the perimeter. Thompson can’t control that.

In a similar vein, the Bulls’ stars have to be consistent on offense if they want to avoid a first-round sweep. Thompson can’t control that either. So perhaps Jennings’ assessment is more Thompson being in the wrong place at the wrong time.