The Chicago Bulls finally gave themselves something to build on Sunday afternoon, even if the record still looks brutal at 1-8.
Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago looked like a team with a pulse. The pace was better, the energy was better, and the shot quality followed. The Bulls hit a season-high 52.3 percent from the field, and every starter finished in double figures.
A big part of that came with a different look in the backcourt. Tiago Splitter kept Jalen Smith at starting center while Nic Claxton continues working back into game shape, but he made a change next to Josh Giddey after Norman Powell was sidelined with back spasms. Instead of Powell, Splitter turned to Isaac Okoro.
On paper, it’s not the cleanest fit. Giddey and Okoro don’t bring much proven shooting to the table.
But the lineup worked in ways that mattered. Okoro’s defense on the ball and his activity away from it gave this young group a steadier edge, and the Bulls played with more structure because of it.
That matters for a team that has been through a miserable opening stretch. Chicago has looked historically bad at times over the first few weeks, and while that was always going to come with a rebuild, the Bulls still need to establish an identity and help their young talent grow. Too often, the first eight games have made that harder, not easier.
Sunday was different. The Bulls were competitive for most of the afternoon, and several of their core young pieces had real roles in keeping the game close. Okoro wasn’t the only reason that happened, but his presence seemed to set off a chain reaction.
Defensively, he gives Chicago something it badly needs. He was already viewed as the team’s best defender, and that becomes even more important when neither Giddey nor Powell is built to handle an opposing team’s top perimeter scorer.
Splitter has even tried Matas Buzelis in that spot at times. With Okoro on the floor, some of that burden comes off the rest of the group, especially with rim protection still a problem.
The offensive ripple effect may have been even more noticeable. Buzelis had his best night of the season with Powell out, and that didn’t feel accidental. Powell can still matter as a veteran scorer and shotmaker, but with one fewer player needing touches, Buzelis had more room to attack and play the way he did last season.
The offense, in general, looked more settled with Okoro in the lineup. Giddey played with more confidence going to the basket and finished with a season-high 15 assists. Powell is the kind of player who deserves the ball in his hands at times, but Okoro’s game is built more around the little things - movement, effort, and not needing the offense to revolve around him.
That leaves Chicago with a real question. Does Powell come off the bench as a spark and still close games when the Bulls need a scoring burst?
If not, is there another way to keep Okoro with the starters? Giddey, Wilson, and Buzelis aren’t the guys getting bumped.
Of course, this all comes with the obvious warning label: it was one game. There’s no guarantee the same formula will work every night, and the starting five is likely to change again once Claxton is fully ramped up. His return could create a different kind of balance if Powell is back in the group.
Still, after the way Chicago has stumbled out of the gate, the Bulls can’t afford to ignore a lineup that actually looked functional. When a season starts this badly, every option has to be on the table.
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