The Chicago Bulls’ offseason hasn’t resulted in any changes to the organization’s intended starting five for the 2022-23 NBA season, and according to Bleacher Report, that may be a problem.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes ranked the Bulls’ projected starting five (Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic) 18th out of the 30 teams in the league, and warned that Chicago’s defense will be a major issue. There’s also the uncertainty surrounding Ball’s status, as the versatile guard is progressing slower than the team would hope.
Via Bleacher Report:
“This unit, which has just two above-standard defenders in Ball and Williams, somehow produced a defensive rating of 87.5 that ranked in the 100th percentile and an offensive rating of 98.5 that ranked in the second.
The NBA can be unpredictable, but here’s a certainty: Those trends will reverse, and the Bulls’ starters should score in bunches while surrendering nearly as many buckets on the other end.
Reserve groups that include Alex Caruso will dial up the pressure, and Williams could surprise if he stays healthy. But it’s just not prudent to expect units including DeRozan, arguably one of the worst defensive players in the league, and a 32-year-old Vucevic to perform on D. Those guys are valuable offensive pieces, but both have decade-plus track records of compromising their teams’ defensive integrity.”
