Buddy Hield’s value to the Bulls is going to come down to one simple thing as the preseason winds down: can he knock down shots without getting in his own way?
That was the lesson Chicago kept running into last season with Hield, and it’s still the cleanest path forward now. The veteran sharpshooter arrived in a deal that sent Rob Dillingham to the Charlotte Hornets, a move the Bulls clearly made with flexibility in mind.
On the surface, it wasn’t the kind of swap that screams long-term upside. Hield had been borderline unplayable after landing with the Golden State Warriors last season, while Dillingham at least offered some promise as a playmaker and a guard who could fit into an NBA rotation.
But Chicago saw little future for Dillingham in this rebuild and decided the chance to land a potentially tradeable contract in Hield was worth parting with the main piece it got in the Ayo Dosunmu trade.
Now that the deal is done, the focus shifts to what Hield can actually give this team. If he’s going to matter to the Bulls’ rotation - and boost whatever market he has around the league - he has to look more like the version they saw in his 2024-25 run with Golden State.
Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets was a step in that direction. Hield was making his perimeter shots, and just as importantly, he wasn’t doing too much with the ball.
That’s the formula Chicago needs from him. He’s not the kind of player who can afford extra dribbles, extra hesitation, or extra creativity.
The shot-making has always been the selling point. The downside is just as clear.
Hield doesn’t bring much on defense, and if the jumper isn’t falling, the rest of his game doesn’t carry enough weight to make up for it. The Bulls didn’t bring him in for anything complicated.
They brought him in because he can stretch the floor and add a little more offensive structure.
That’s why last season’s 34.9% mark from 3-point range between the Warriors and Atlanta Hawks is the number Chicago wants to see move in a different direction.
The split in his shooting profile tells the story. Hield hit 39.2% of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers last season, which put him in a solid spot among players taking at least three of those looks per game.
But once he had to create his own shot, the efficiency cratered. He shot 24.6% on pull-up threes and 22.2% on his attempts from inside the arc with that same qualifier.
That pattern has carried into his time with Golden State in 2024-25 and has shown up again in Chicago’s preseason. Hield has appeared in three games, and the theme is familiar: he’s at his best when he’s simply spacing the floor and taking the shot the offense gives him.
Against Denver, he made four of six 3-point tries, and every one of those makes came on catch-and-shoot looks. One of his two misses was a pull-up jumper.
That’s the version Tiago Splitter should be pushing as the preseason closes. There may be room for Hield to do a little more as the season unfolds, but right now his place in the rotation and his value on the trade market both depend on one thing: making perimeter shots in the flow of the offense.
For Buddy Hield, the assignment is plain. Shoot.
In Other News...
Leonard Miller Is Giving Bulls A Frontcourt Decision To Make
The Bulls preseason trip to Denver offered a useful reminder that roster battles can get louder once the lights come on. Chicago fell 133-128 at Ball Arena, but the bigger takeaway was the way Leonard Miller kept making himself hard to ignore off the bench, giving the front office and coaching staff something to weigh in the frontcourt as the season approaches.
Miller poured in 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds, exactly the kind of productive night that forces a conversation even in October. Chicago also got solid perimeter shooting, but the game tilted with too many fouls and too many trips to the line for Denver, a lopsided stretch that helped Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic close out the win. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Exposed A Problem Denvers Coach Couldnt Ignore
The Bulls gave Denver a preseason game that was lively enough to keep the Nuggets' coaching staff uneasy, even in a 133-128 loss that still went in the home team's favor. Aaron Gordon paced Denver with 25 points, Nikola Jokic added a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the result looked like a useful tune-up on the surface.
But the bigger takeaway from Chicago's side was how much the Bulls were able to push the pace and make Denver work for everything early. Nuggets coach David Adelman was plainly unsatisfied with the defensive edge his group showed, especially in the first half, and the game ended with enough slippage in transition to suggest this one revealed more about Denver's early concerns than its final score did. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Wilson Just Gave Bulls Fans A Real Reason To Dream
Caleb Wilson keeps giving the Bulls something to watch in these first preseason weeks, and his third game was the most encouraging one yet. The No. 4 overall pick showed the kind of offensive versatility Chicago hoped for, flashing scoring at all three levels while also handling some playmaking duties against Denver. In 25 minutes, he looked increasingly comfortable as a multi-use piece rather than just a prospect trying to find his footing.
There were still the usual early-career rough edges, with some turnovers and a few defensive lapses showing up along the way, which is part of the learning curve for a young player asked to do so much so quickly. Even so, Wilsons growth has been noticeable from game to game, and the Bulls have to like that he is already looking like a player whose ceiling could stretch well beyond simple rookie expectations. [Read more 🡒]