The Chicago Bulls' start to the 2026-27 season was nowhere near ideal. Chicago fell to the Toronto Raptors, 135-92.
While this game did exploit weaknesses, it could be a great opportunity for the Bulls, depending on how they respond to it.
Here is what was good, but more importantly, what wasn't, in the loss. While there is more that could be brought up, here are the general things that stood out.
Good: the challenge
The Raptors were a tough opponent on both ends of the floor. Their defense looked great and really challenged this Bulls offense. Things were difficult for Chicago offensively last night, and the box score reflected that.
The Raptors offense started out hot right out of the gate, and the Raptors kept the momentum rolling.
This game exploited Chicago's offensive and defensive weaknesses in the first game of the season.
This new-look Bulls team now knows what it is like to go up against a tough opponent, one that can apply pressure on defense and score at an elite level.
If the Bulls were going to struggle against a team like Toronto, it's better to do it right away. Having that challenge so early, and now knowing what they need to do to improve, could be good, depending on the response.
The Bulls can hopefully address what needs to be addressed right away instead of running into this situation later in the season.
The Raptors challenged Caleb Wilson as well. Wilson finished with 16 points on 7-for-21 shooting from the field and 1-for-8 shooting from three. He had nine turnovers and three steals.
Wilson understands going up against a tough NBA defensive team now and can use that knowledge to his advantage early in the season.
Bad: Turnovers and shooting
The Chicago Bulls seemed unable to handle the Raptors' defensive pressure when trying to score the ball, resulting in plenty of misses.
The Bulls' offense needed to get in rhythm, but couldn't.
Chicago shot just 4-for-36 (11%) from beyond the arc. Norman Powell, Jaylin Sellers and Wilson were the only players to knock down 3-pointers.
This, coupled with the turnovers, made it a tough night for Chicago. The Bulls finished with 27 turnovers, conceding 35 points off of them.
Chicago could not protect the ball against the Raptors' defense.
Good: Jalen Smith's production
Jalen Smith looked great to begin the game. He scored eight points in the first quarter on 3-for-3 shooting from the field. It was nice to see him get the ball inside, especially in the first quarter.
Smith set the tone by scoring Chicago's first eight points of the game. Hopefully, this serves as a good sign for when Nic Claxton returns from injury.
Bad: defense
The whole game could be talked about, but let's focus on the first quarter.
By allowing Toronto to score 43 points in the first quarter - and the Bulls only put up 23 - it put them down by 20 points with three quarters left to play. Toronto shot 6-for-12 from three in the frame as well.
This game was going to be tough, but it became even tougher with Toronto having such a strong advantage early on.
The Bulls struggled against Toronto's defense, making Chicago's defensive production even more important.
This game was a tough one for Chicago, and hopefully they can bounce back on Friday against the Bucks.
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