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Projected starting lineup & rotation for Bulls NBA preseason game vs. Cavaliers

Which veterans could get some time and which young players will see the most minutes?

By Andrew Hanlon

Sep 30, 2024; Chicago, Il, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0), center Nikola Vucevic (9), guard Zach LaVine (8) and guard Josh Giddey (3) pose during Chicago Bulls Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Sep 30, 2024; Chicago, Il, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0), center Nikola Vucevic (9), guard Zach LaVine (8) and guard Josh Giddey (3) pose during Chicago Bulls Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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It's finally here - the Chicago Bulls are playing a real basketball game in October ahead of the 2024-25 NBA campaign as they begin the preseason with a road test against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The score won't matter (it never does in the preseason), but the team's lineups and rotations will.

How many minutes will Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and other veterans get to start knocking some rust off?

How much will newcomer Josh Giddey play, and how much time will he see with key teammates like LaVine and Coby White?

How will a healthy and newly paid Patrick Williams look? Is rookie Matas Buzelis ready to show off against a new level of competition?

And perhaps most interestingly, will Lonzo Ball appear on an NBA floor for the first time since January 2022?

Here's what things could look like for head coach Billy Donovan as Chicago gets the 2024-25 NBA season underway.

Bulls potential preseason starting lineup against Cavaliers

The most significant question is whether Donovan decides to roll out a starting lineup that looks similar to what he'll begin game one of the regular season with.

If that's the case, it'll look something like this:

  • PG: Josh Giddey
  • SG: Coby White
  • SF: Zach LaVine
  • PF: Patrick Williams
  • C: Nikola Vucevic

Giddey is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury but is expected to play.

If he can't go or Chicago decides to hold him out for precautionary reasons, Ayo Dosunmu could start in his place, or the Bulls could go with White and LaVine in the backcourt and a big lineup featuring Buzelis and Williams at the forward spots.

Ball is questionable to play against the Cavs, but there's no reason to rush him into playing in the team's first preseason game unless it's minimal minutes. If Giddey doesn't play, maybe he starts and plays a handful of minutes or comes off the bench at some point in the fourth quarter.

Bulls potential rotations in NBA preseason opener

Buzelis will likely play significant minutes as he gets his first taste of NBA action. Considering Williams' injury history, the rookie could take over at power forward for most of the night.

Likewise, Jalen Smith should take over for Vucevic at center, as the veteran big man shouldn't need much preseason action to be ready for opening night. If the 33-year-old sees his minutes cut during the regular season, that makes even more sense.

Dosunmu will be on the floor for an extended period whether he starts or not, but Donovan's backcourt rotation will be interesting to see.

Does the more defensive-minded Dosunmu play alongside the more offensive-minded White? Does he combine with Giddey and play as essentially and 3-and-D guard? That will also depend on how many minutes Donovan dishes out to LaVine.

A small-ball lineup of Giddey, White, LaVine, Williams and Buzelis would be interesting to see as a group that could do some real damage in transition if Buzelis starts to hit on some of the promise he showed as a high school prospect before disappointing last year in the G League.

The Bulls will have several different options to play with, especially considering its the preseason opener and experimenting with some combination of young players is easy to do with no stakes.

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