3 Winners and 3 Losers from Chicago Bulls 2022 preseason

Winner: Andre Drummond

After signing a deal for just $3.3 million with the Chicago Bulls, I highly doubt anyone outside of the Windy City had high hopes for Andre Drummond this season. Instead of making this the first stop on a farewell tour for his career, however, Drummond looked determined to revitalize his skill set and remain a force in the NBA for years to come.

Fortunately for the Bulls, Drummond’s success will compound and manifest itself in two unique ways. Obviously, Drummond playing well is a great sign for the reserves, but it also has the added benefit of allowing Nikola Vucevic time to get ample rest. While Vooch certainly struggled with a number of things last year, his critics need to consider the fact that Nikola’s heaviest usage season came in his first year while on the Bulls, while two of his four highest minutes per game averages have come with Chicago as well.

In a team stacked with talent like the Bulls, they should be discovering ways to ramp down Vucevic’s usage to keep his legs fresh for the offseason. Acquiring Drummond was the first major step toward ensuring that happens.

Andre Drummond is going to make an immediate positive impact on the Chicago Bulls bench unit this season.

Loser: Tony Bradley

Brought on to be the key reserve to Nikola Vucevic last summer, Tony Bradley ended up being a huge net negative for the Bulls last season. Fast forward an entire year, and not much seems to have changed since then. Every time Bradley steps on the court I’m thoroughly reminded why the Bulls desperately needed Tristan Thompson on the buyout market to fill the void at center.

The fact that Thompson didn’t play all that well — as evidenced by his current employment — but was still an upgrade over Bradley tells you everything that you need to know. Bradley’s player option has been his one saving grace, as it will grant the soon-to-be 25-year-old center one last shot at redemption.

Unless Bradley managed to make massive (and I mean massive) unseen improvements to his game over the summer, it’s looking increasingly likely that his greatest Bulls highlight will forever be getting hauled off the court like a baby in the arms of Steven Adams.