Bulls offensive struggles lead to loss to Pistons |
LAS VEGAS — As bad as things have looked offensively for this team this summer, there are some positives to take away from the Chicago Bulls Summer League action. Not only is their No. 1 pick, Matas Buzelis, having his way, but the Bulls' defense has been impressive, which could be their calling card next season.
You continued to see that again on Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons, as the Bulls were very good once again defensively and held the Pistons to just 85 points. The problem was their offense, which was an issue last season and has been an issue for the past two games. Not only did this team shoot just 41% from the field, but they also went 5-21 for deep, which came out to 23.8%. As the NBA game has transformed into the Modern game, shooting, especially three-point shooting, is as crucial as ever. If you can't shoot the ball from deep, you don't stand a chance in this league, and the Bulls found that out firsthand yet again as they fell to the Pistons 85-77. There wasn't much to get excited about when it comes to the Bulls, but their top pick, Buzelis, is one of the things fans should be excited about. Not only is he coming off a 28-point game, but he continues to get better from one game to the next as he led the Bulls with 18 points. He did struggle shooting the ball for the first time this Summer, but when you look at his defense and some of the things he can do on the floor, the Bulls will take what they can get from a shooting perspective. He has been the most consistent player on the team this Summer, but with four players in double figures, the Bulls were getting production across the board. DJ Stewart was one of those guys, continuing to impress this Summer. A career G-League player, Stewart is making quite an impression this Summer, adding 15 points while dishing out six assists in the loss. Along with those two, you also had a pair of second-year men looking to play much more meaningful minutes this season. Julian Phillips is one of those guys and after a dreadful game on Sunday Phillips bounced back with 12 points and seven boards as he continues to show his potential. The Bulls also have Adama Sanogo, who was the most surprising story in the organization last season and will now look to take his game to the next level. A walking double-double every time he takes the court, Sanogo did have a bit of trouble in this one, but he still managed to come away with 10 points and six rebounds as the Pistons did a great job keeping him in check. No one else had more than six points in the game, as the Bulls need to figure out a way to get more scoring across the board. With another new coach set to take over the team this season, the Pistons need to figure out a way to turn their franchise around quickly. This has been the worst team in the NBA for several seasons, and that was again the case last season, which is why Monty Williams was fired. With guys like Cade Cunningham leading the show, the Pistons have plenty of young talent on their roster, but now it is up to them to take that talent to the next level. Ronald Holland II and Marcus Sasser are two guys to keep an eye on this season, as they led the way for Detroit with 17 points. Holland pulled down nine rebounds with his 17 points, while Sasser came away with three assists and five steals. While their games played huge roles in what the Pistons could do, Jayce Johnson led all scorers with 19 points and did that on an impressive 66% shooting. Like the Bulls, the Pistons received the most attention on the court, but what won this game for them was more production across their roster mixed with slightly better shooting from distance, although they didn't take nearly the same number of attempts. Tolu Smith added seven points and eight rebounds to help provide the Pistons with some support, while Jalen Slawson added six. The Bulls will close out the regular portion of their Summer League on Friday when they face off with the Atlanta Hawks. Following that game, the Bulls will have one more remaining game on Saturday or Sunday and will have to wait and see who their opponent will be.
