The Chicago Bulls opened their season on Wednesday in perhaps the worst way possible (outside of injuries or off-the-court problems). They suffered a 124-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and got torn to shreds by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For a team seemingly destined for mediocrity, it was a disastrous start.
After the game, Bulls players engaged in intense conversations that led to a players-only meeting in the locker room. Billy Donovan said he asked the players if they wanted him to leave. They said yes, and it turned into a meeting from there. All parties involved said it was a constructive event, but the issues still shine through nonetheless.
Nikola Vucevic spoke about some of the things that went wrong against the Thunder after the game.
“In certain moments, I felt we were a little stagnant and running similar things and I think we could’ve involved myself in certain situations that could’ve helped the team,” Vucevic said via NBC Sports Chicago. “I’ll look at the film again and see. Maybe some of the things I saw were wrong and I overreacted. I’ll see.”
Vucevic also spoke about his own touches and how the offense wasn’t ideal for what the Bulls were trying to accomplish on that end.
“It wasn’t so much just my touches,” Vucevic said. “Just stuff we were running could’ve been better for us in the moment. Some of it was touches, but not necessarily for me to score. Offensively we got a little stagnant and didn’t play with energy and move the ball enough.”
The big man finished the game with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks while shooting 5-for-8 from the field and 0-for-2 from deep.
If Chicago hopes to make a playoff run this season, they’ll need to figure things out both internally and on the court sooner rather than later.
