The Chicago Bulls’ first road trip should serve as another litmus test. The start to the 2020-21 season has been a disaster — turnover-prone, unorganized on offense and uninterested on defense — but at least the Washington Wizards, another winless team, offered some company.
Two consecutive games in Washington, a schedule quirk intended to limit travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, should give the Bulls a measuring stick in the Eastern Conference against a team likely to end up in their tier. And although the basketball was not always aesthetically pleasing, the Bulls controlled Tuesday’s game from start to finish, coasting to a 115-107 victory for their first win of the season.
The quality of opponent has dipped considerably since the first two games, but the Bulls can draw encouragement from how they have improved with each game, and for most of Tuesday night, they started to show signs of competence.
“It’s obviously very important to get the first win; it kind of takes the pressure off your shoulders,” guard Tomas Satoransky said. “It tells us what I already know, that this group is trying to get better every day and trying to play better.
“But we have to keep going, we have to keep improving. There’s a lot of room to improve, but I really like the mentality of everyone in this group just doing everything it takes to win.”
There was a lot to like from the Bulls in this game. They got solid contributions up and down the lineup, from the backcourt of Zach LaVine (23 points, five rebounds, six assists) and Coby White (18, five and six) and off the bench from a trio of former Wizards — Otto Porter Jr. (14 points in the first half), Garrett Temple (12 points) and Satoransky (10 points and six assists). Wendell Carter Jr. recorded his second straight double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Seven players reached double figures as the Bulls moved the ball around much more efficiently than in their first three games. They collected 26 assists with only 14 turnovers, an improvement from their 20-turnover average in the first three games, which ranked second-worst in the NBA.
They were much better defensively, deviating from surrendering 40-point quarters to keeping the Wizards to 46 points at the half. Russell Westbrook (21 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists) collected his third triple-double in as many games with his new team, and Bradley Beal scored 29 points, but the Wizards fell to 0-4 with their new backcourt tandem.
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“We made them work for their points,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who was presented the game ball from his players but passed it along to executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas.
It was an all-around solid performance from the Bulls to earn their first victory, but it left two main takeaways: a question about the rotation and uncertainty about Lauri Markkanen’s calf injury.
1. Youthful starters vs. veteran bench.
The Bulls are conducting an interesting experiment. They have loaded up their starting lineup with their young core while their second unit is made up entirely of solid veterans.
Throughout the games, coach Billy Donovan has mixed and matched his veteran bench while staggering his starters, but the closing lineup for the last two close games has included players such as Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple and Otto Porter Jr.
“This is a really good mix, to be honest with you,” Satoransky said. “In Garrett, we have another veteran who can play and knows how to play. OP coming off the bench gives you a lot of shooting and also knowledge of how to play. I think it’s a great mix.
“Obviously, we have so much talent in that starting lineup. But they sometimes have trouble in moments of the game. They weren’t on many winning teams. And they’re very young. But it’s our responsibility to lead by example of how you should play the right way and help those guys when they struggle in the tough moments.”
Donovan has acknowledged he still is trying to find the right rotation mix for the Bulls, but he does like his starting group as he eases his more experienced players back into action.
Temple, who scored 12 points Tuesday and was a plus-12, missed the entire preseason and most of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19. Porter, who scored 14 points in the first half, has been limited by injuries for the last two seasons, and the Bulls want to limit his minutes early on.
And Satoransky, who racked up six assists and has been the team’s best passer, had to quarantine during training camp after getting exposed to COVID-19. Thaddeus Young could be a nice addition to this group, but he has not played yet this season because of a staph infection. He could return as soon as Thursday.
Even with the missed time, it has become clear early on that the veterans have adjusted to Donovan’s offense much more smoothly than the starters.
“They’re smart players, they’re experienced players,” Donovan said. “They give the group a level of confidence and belief.”
2. Lauri Markkanen aggravates his calf injury.
Just when things were going right for Lauri Markkanen to start the season, an injury has once again threatened to set him back.
A calf bruise forced Markkanen to miss the end of the fourth quarter Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, and he aggravated it in the second quarter Tuesday night. Markkanen tried to return after halftime to play through it, but he realized he couldn’t run at full speed and decided he needed to come out.
“I can’t really compare what happened on (Sunday),” Markkanen said. “I couldn’t put any pressure on it. Now I can walk with it. … But it’s really sensitive to touching on the spot where I got hit.”
Markkanen did not have a read on whether he will be able to play Thursday against the Wizards, but the injury has at least slowed what had been a fast start to the season. He was averaging 20 points and 7.7 rebounds before scoring nine points in 19 minutes Tuesday, looking more like the player the Bulls hoped he would blossom into this season.
“I’ve been trying to be aggressive when I get on the floor,” he said. “Obviously we’re looking for our best shot for the team, but I feel like they need me to be aggressive, too, and go to the basket. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. I’m pissed that I wasn’t able to be on the court when we finished the game out. But I’m glad the guys got it done.”
It’s too early to read into whether this stretch for Markkanen is for real, even though there are encouraging signs — shooting better and attacking the basket more frequently. Most often, his issue has been consistency and injuries that have derailed his progress. Markkanen has not played more than 52 games since his rookie season.
“That’s the main thing — it doesn’t matter how you play if you’re on the bench,” he said. “You’ve got to be available to play. So I wanted to be there for my teammates. But you can’t control freak accidents like that … you’ve got to be smart with it.
“But of course I want to be available and be there for my teammates. It’s frustrating that it happened again. But I’m sure it’s going to get better.”