The Bulls’ opening night in Toronto was a mess on the scoreboard, but the more revealing story may have been on the bench.
Chicago was hammered 135-92 after the Raptors swarmed them into 27 turnovers and held them to 31.8 percent shooting. It was a brutal first game for a young group, though the broader picture still points to a season built on swings, stumbles and the occasional sharp turn. The bigger takeaway from Wednesday wasn’t just how badly the Bulls played - it was how Tiago Splitter chose to distribute his minutes.
Splitter made it clear early that he’s willing to go deep into the roster. He used 10 players in the first half, matching his stated plan to play fast and lean on an extended rotation to keep legs fresh. Alongside the starters - Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Jalen Smith - he also gave second-unit run to Tre Jones, Leonard Miller, Isaac Okoro, Zach Collins and Buddy Hield.
When the game kept slipping away, the head coach widened the circle even more. Noa Essengue got into the mix, and so did two-way players Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka.
That added up to 13 of 17 Bulls roster members seeing the floor. Three players were unavailable because of injury. Of the available group, only one was left on the sideline: Patrick Williams.
For a player who was a fixture under the previous regime, that was a loud message. Williams, the former No. 4 overall pick, had always found a role game to game before.
The old setup seemed determined to keep him involved even when the results weren’t there. Splitter and Bryson Graham don’t appear interested in that kind of commitment.
That makes Williams’ situation feel especially stark. He’s due $18.0 million a year through 2028-29, yet he wasn’t used in a historic season opener that turned ugly quickly. It also underscored how different this front office and coaching staff are operating.
Could that change by Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks? It certainly could.
After a beatdown like this, Splitter may decide to shuffle things around. But passing on Williams’ size and strength against Toronto already says plenty.
He has a lot to prove to this staff, and with so many capable wings on the roster, earning that trust is not going to come easy.
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