As another new week approaches with the Bulls season winding down, I find myself fairly intrigued by their upcoming opponents. This week’s matchups — Cleveland, Orlando, and Miami — all present significant tests for the Bulls’ two young bigs, Jalen Smith and Zach Collins. To be sure, Collins is 27 and Smith is 25, so it’s not like we’re talking about rookies here. But playing bigger minutes in a starting role is new for Collins, and Smith will likely continue to see his time on the floor increase as the team prioritizes youth.
Since the mysterious calf injury to Nikola Vucevic that took him from “probable” to “out” last Monday against the Sixers, we’ve seen a heavy dosage of Collins, and he’s without a doubt passed the test thus far. In his four games in the starting spot, he’s played 33 minutes a night and averaged 17.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.8 APG and shot an outstanding 58.1 percent from the field. Not to mention, he’s seemed to have some really solid chemistry with Josh Giddey.
This week, he’ll go up against some tougher opponents, and I’m excited to see how he fares. Cleveland boasts arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The latter is currently the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year depending on where you look, and Jarrett Allen is a fantastic rim protector and rebounder in his own right. Against the Magic, we know that Wendell Carter Jr can be tough defensively, and Paolo Banchero at the four can create mismatches. As for when Chicago takes on the Heat, while Kel’el Ware might be sidelined, Bam Adebayo is a phenomenal big who’s almost always getting some DPOY love.
At this point of the Bulls’ season, we know they aren’t going anywhere meaningful. Sure, they’re likely destined for the Play-In, but they’re not winning anything of substance. The rest of the way, it’s about finding out which pieces are worth keeping. So even though there’s a decent chance the Bulls go 1-2 or even 0-3 this week, I really do enjoy these opportunities for players looking to prove themselves like Zach Collins or Jalen Smith. They each have a chance to stand out against some top-tier competition.
No, neither Collins nor Smith will be winning any starting jobs next year with one strong week, but given how both have looked at times, it’s important to see them stack performances consistently no matter who the opponent is.
© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesMeet the Bulls’ Opponents
3/4 vs Cavaliers: Buckle up, folks. This one could get ugly. 3/6 at Magic: What went wrong here? 3/8 at Heat: Play-In Preview?Bulls Projected Lineup
Lonzo Ball Coby White Josh Giddey Matas Buzelis Zach Collins © Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesOpponent Projected Lineup
Cleveland Cavaliers
Darius Garland Donovan Mitchell Max Strus Evan Mobley Jarrett AllenOrlando Magic
Cole Anthony Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Franz Wagner Paolo Banchero Wendell Carter JrMiami Heat
Davion Mitchell Tyler Herro Andrew Wiggins Haywood Highsmith Bam AdebayoUnavailable/Injured (at the start of the week)
Bulls: Patrick Williams OUT (knee), Ayo Dosunmu OUT (shoulder), Nikola Vucevic OUT (calf), Kevin Huerter QUESTIONABLE (knee), Lonzo Ball QUESTIONABLE (wrist) Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell QUESTIONABLE (rest) Magic: Ethan Thompson QUESTIONABLE (newly signed), Jalen Suggs OUT (knee), Moritz Wagner OUT (knee) Heat: Davion Mitchell QUESTIONABLE (quad), Kel’el Ware QUESTIONABLE (knee), Andrew Wiggins QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Jaime Jaquez Jr DOUBTFUL (ankle), Nikola Jovic OUT (hand) A Lot of Close Loses, A Drastic Drop in 3-Point Success, Details on Dosunmu’s Season-Ending Injury, and Other Bulls BulletsWhat To Watch For
Bulls: I sound like a broken record at this point, but I want to see if Josh Giddey can keep this hot streak going and if Matas Buzelis can get more and more consistent. All three matchups this week are with teams who are ahead of the Bulls in the standings, including Cleveland who owns the best record in the NBA. Can Giddey keep this run up against better competition? Can Buzelis start to play better in not-so-favorable matchups? This week should be a good test for both of them. Cavaliers: This squad is just a wagon right now, and they don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Even spotting the Celtics a 25-3 lead in Boston on Friday night didn’t matter, as they still found a way to win. This team is so deep, they do everything well, and Donovan Mitchell is a true superstar. There’s a pretty good chance that game we saw on Friday night was an Eastern Conference Finals preview, and sign me up if it was! It’s just disappointing knowing how far off the Bulls are from this level. Magic: I’m so intrigued to know what exactly went wrong with the Magic this year. Last season, they went to Game 7 with the Cavs. Granted, Cleveland made some changes, but they’ve taken a giant leap forward while Orlando seems to have taken two steps back this year. Paolo Banchero missed some time, but he’s healthy now. As is Franz Wagner. They weren’t really built to survive long with those two missing as much time that they did, but at the same time, they’ve struggled with them in the lineup too. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bold move from Orlando at some point this summer. Heat: Even without Kel’el Ware (most likely) this feels like a matchup Bam Adebayo can feast in. Nikola Vucevic hopes to be back during the Florida road trip, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Zach Collins has been solid, but still the Bulls really lack physical depth down low at the moment. If anything, this feels like a good test for the hot streak Collins has been on since entering the starting lineup. Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Pass or Fail: Bulls Young Bigs Face A Difficult Test This Week )
Also on site :