The NBA had its unofficial open to the 2022-23 season with Media Day and there were plenty of questions for Bulls President Arturas Karnisovas and Head Coach Billy Donovan. Here is the full press conference:
The Bulls brass answered plenty of questions but the main questions focused on two things: the health of starting PG Lonzo Ball and the plan during the offseason.
The Bulls are going to go into the 2022-23 season without Ball so it will be up to Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso and Goran Dragic to shoulder the load until Ball gets fully healthy. I suspect that Goran Drajic will get the starting job but will ultimately get the Bill Cartwright treatment. I also see Dosunmu getting the call to close out games. Adding Andre Drummond gave the Bulls some much needed size down in the blocks but it’s going to be up to PF Patrick Williams. Bulls fans have been waiting for him break out but injuries, COVID and the lack of a consistent lineup has hampered him. According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, Williams has reported to camp thinner and says he felt overweight last season. The #4 overall pick from the 2020 draft will need to show he is ready to take his game to the next level.
Also looking to improve upon last season is Nikola Vucevic. Despite averaging 18pts, 11rebs & 3 assts last year Vucevic will need to play more within himself and get back to his production from a couple of years ago. Last year his shooting splits were .473 FG/.314 3-PT/.760 FT. That is down from his All-Star season when his splits here .480/.400/.840. A healthy and consistent lineup will go a long way to getting Vooch back to his career averages.
Demar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are also looking to repeat their season from a year ago when both players made the All-Star team and DeRozan in particular was the MVP of the 1st half of the season. No one really expects DeRozan to perform at the level he was on last season when he averaged a career-high 27.9 ppg but if he can stay healthy and keep his scoring average in the 22-25 point range then that will be a success. The onus on carrying the team needs to be on LaVine’s shoulders. Coming off an All-Star season where he averaged 24.4 ppg, LaVine should be able to pick up the slack now that he is fully healthy and has a newly minted max contract.
With training camp open here is how I see the depth chart going for the Bulls with Lonzo Ball out:
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Goran Dragic | Zach LaVine | Demar DeRozan | Patrick Williams | Nikola Vucevic |
| Ayo Dosunmu | Alex Caruso | Javonte Green | Derrick Jones | Andre Drummond |
| Coby White | Malcolm Hill | Dalen Terry | Justin Lewis | Tony Bradley |
| Carlik Jones | Javon Freeman-Liberty | Marko Simonovic |
The hope going into the 2022-23 season is the squad stays healthy until Lonzo Ball returns. Regardles of when Ball plays the Bulls will have a tough time in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks return fully healthy and with a team that may be the best in the NBA. The Heat, Celtics (even with the Ime Udoka scandal), Cavs, Nets and 76ers all figure to finish with better records. That will more than likely leave the Hawks & Bulls to battle for the #7 spot.
The maturation and in-season progress of Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry will tell the story for this season. If they step up, the Bulls could finish around 5-6. If not… that 8-seed is waiting for them.
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