The Chicago Bulls have played just one preseason game so far—a 118–117 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. After falling behind by 11 in the first quarter, Chicago’s second unit sparked a comeback that flipped the momentum.
The Bulls outscored the Cavaliers by 11 in the second quarter, pulling even by halftime. But the start of the second half felt familiar. With the starters back in, minus Josh Giddey, Chicago looked sharper early, only for the reserves to stumble later, giving up a four-point lead.
Down 90–83 to start the fourth, the Bulls began to rally with just under four minutes remaining. A tough Jevon Carter layup gave Chicago a two-point lead with 36 seconds left, but on the next possession, Luke Travers hit one of two free throws to cut it to one.
After a missed Yuki Kawamura three with seven seconds to go, Cleveland’s Thomas Bryant hauled in the rebound and sprinted the other way for a go-ahead score, only to be denied by Dalen Terry at the rim. And that wasn’t the only game-saving stop. Reserve big man Jalen Smith blocked Bryant’s last-second alley-oop attempt to secure the win.
Alas, that block turned out to be Smith’s most impactful moment of the night. In 15 minutes of action, the 25-year-old big man recorded five points, nine rebounds, and one block, but struggled from the field, shooting just 1-for-8 overall and 0-for-6 from three.
Jalen Smith's theoretical multi-faceted offensive game is ideal
Ideally, Smith gives the Bulls a similar skill set to starter Nikola Vucevic—a floor-stretching big with a diverse offensive game. Chicago signed the Maryland product to a three-year, $27 million deal in the 2024 offseason after he averaged 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 three-pointers per game on 42.4 percent shooting from deep in just 17.2 minutes for the Indiana Pacers.
However, the career-best season Smith enjoyed with Indiana in 2023–24 didn’t translate to Chicago. He regressed to his 2022–23 form, posting similar counting stats and nearly identical efficiency metrics across the board.
Smith averaged 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in just 15.0 minutes per game, but shot only 46.6 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three. To make matters worse, Chicago was 0.8 points per 100 possessions worse with the 6-foot-9 big man on the floor.
After the Bulls acquired Zach Collins midseason, Smith’s minutes and production began to dip. He shot under 25.0 percent from three-point range in both March and April, closing out his first season in Chicago on a cold streak.
Yet, as we’ve seen in the past, Smith can be a valuable presence, especially as a floor spacer for a reserve unit. Players who shoot nearly 60 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three don’t come around often. But is Smith really that player, or does he closely resemble his career three-point mark of 33.2 percent?
The answer to that question will come this season. If Smith really is that player, it would be a boon for the Bulls, who could benefit from his floor spacing. Several of Chicago’s primary reserves, including Tre Jones, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, and rookie Noa Essengue, aren’t knockdown shooters, so Smith’s presence would help open the floor for them.