The Aftermath Of Bulls’ ‘Players Only’ Meeting Following Opening Night Loss

You never expect to hear three words after the season’s first game: players-only meeting. Following their embarrassing 20-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Chicago, the Bulls players were walked in on by head coach Billy Donovan while having several headed discussions amongst one another. Donovan said he granted them more time to sort things out without the coaching staff, and several players spoke on the team’s state following the disappointing start to the year. Is this a preview of the 2023-24 season for the Bulls?

Failure To Show Heart

Zach LaVine’s reflection of the game was head-scratching as a star player severely underperforming. His perception of the issue was that the Bulls lacked “heart” and that, collectively, they did not do enough to contribute to winning. As the reigning leading scorer and highest-paid player on the roster, LaVine’s leadership skills after shooting 4-for-16 from the field with a team-leading four turnovers is concerning. His knee-jerk responses blamed Donovan’s decision to sideline him for much of the second quarter due to foul trouble and said that the entire team didn’t play with enough heart rather than admit any fault of his own. Concerning signs from the franchise’s future and not a reigning endorsement amongst his teammates.

Vucevic’s Early Frustrations With Lack Of Usage

Nikola Vucevic has echoed the same message from the conclusion of last season to resigning as a free agent, to the second quarter of tonight’s game, and again in the postgame interviews. He wants to be more involved in the offense and believes the team is more successful offensively when he’s more actively integrated. He’s often referred to Nikola Jokic’s deployment in Denver and how they constantly run their action through the man in the middle. While Jokic is a much more advanced scorer and passer than Vucevic, the Bulls’ center has still shown the ability to create opportunities from both the mid-range and low-post with the ball in his hands. It didn’t take long to show his emotions regarding the continued lack of action his way.

Vucevic ended with 11 points on 5-of-8 from the field, nine rebounds, four assists, four turnovers, three steals, and two blocks. The Thunder don’t have a true center on their roster, so much of Vucevic’s frustrations stemmed from the lack of inside touches. The most potent paint protection came from Chet Holmgren, a 7’1″ 195-pound rookie, whom Vucevic has a 75-pound and 12-year experience advantage.

Perfect Plan, Poor Execution

The biggest takeaway from opening night was the three-point line. Chicago’s opening night franchise record of 42 three-point attempts was refreshing, but only cashing in on a dozen led to the dismantling loss. They shot the six-worst percentage of any NBA teams that have played a game so far this season, and their 28% clip was 4% lower than the lowest in the league a year ago. The starting group, featuring the three best three-point shooters from this roster in 2022, shot an abysmal 5-for-25 from deep. If the Bulls are going to succeed this season, they’ll need to start knocking down outside shots.

The good news? It can only go up from a 20-point home-opening loss featuring as many turnovers as three-point makes. The Bulls are headed for three Eastern Conference matchups that highly indicate where they rank in their league.