The Bulls walk into Monday night with a brutal assignment in front of them: trying to slow down Victor Wembanyama. Chicago is 1-8, San Antonio is 9-2, and the matchup at the United Center comes with all the ingredients for a rough night if the Bulls can’t find answers fast.
Wembanyama is the obvious headliner, and for good reason. Chicago has struggled to handle size and strength in the frontcourt all season, and that problem gets magnified against a player like this.
The Bulls have allowed the third-most points in the paint per game, which is exactly the kind of opening Wembanyama can exploit. Nic Claxton did return this weekend, giving Chicago another long body to throw at him, but the Spurs star is coming off 40 points in 25 minutes on 15-for-19 shooting.
He has already pushed his game to another level, and the Bulls don’t look built to contain him.
The challenge doesn’t stop there. If Chicago wants any chance of hanging around, it has to make the Spurs work on the other end too.
That means spacing the floor and hitting threes, but the Bulls have been one of the worst teams in the league from deep this season. That’s a bad combination against a San Antonio team that can punish mistakes in a hurry.
There’s also the possibility that Wembanyama doesn’t need to carry quite as much of the load tonight. Chicago’s defense is ranked 30th, and the Spurs have the kind of backcourt that can attack that weakness in a different way.
De’Aaron Fox brings elite speed, while Dylan Harper is one of the most efficient drivers in the league. Those two have helped San Antonio pile up by far the most fastbreak points in the NBA at 18.9 per game.
If the Bulls aren’t sharp in transition, this could get away from them quickly.
Chicago’s best path may be the bench. The Spurs are deep, but they average only seventh-fewest bench points per game.
The Bulls rank 11th in bench scoring, so there’s at least a window for them to make things interesting when Wembanyama sits. That’s where a player like Tre Jones could matter, especially in what is technically a revenge game.
Noa Essengue French trash talk? Maybe.
But Chicago’s second unit is probably going to have to do a lot more than talk.
Starting lineups: Josh Giddey, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, Jalen Smith for the Bulls.
De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs.
Injury report: Caleb Wilson is questionable with a hip issue, Zach Collins is questionable with an illness, Dailyn Swain is questionable with a disc injury, Norman Powell is out with a back injury, and Tobe Awaka is out with a back injury.
For San Antonio, Devin Vassell is questionable with an adductor injury, Tobias Harris is out with a calf injury, and Jayden Quaintance is out with a knee injury.
In Other News...
Wembanyama Just Gave Spurs Fans Another Unreal Moment To Debate
Victor Wembanyama keeps finding new ways to make the ordinary look absurd, and his latest highlight came in the third quarter against the Bulls. The Spurs big man launched into a two-hand dunk from the free-throw line, the kind of play that instantly turns a regular night into another entry in the growing Wembanyama highlight reel.
It also came in the middle of a game where he was already stuffing the stat sheet, with San Antonio ahead in the fourth quarter and Wembanyama sitting on 32 points, eight rebounds, two steals and four blocks. Given the way he has been playing all season, with elite production on both ends and a shooting touch to match, the only real debate left is how many more moments like this he can still create before the league runs out of ways to react. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Have A DeAaron Fox Problem They Cant Ignore
DeAaron Fox has been one of the Spurs most important creators since arriving from Sacramento, and the ball is in his hands more often than ever. He still leads San Antonio in assists, which speaks to how much the offense has leaned on him to organize possessions and get others involved, but the scoring punch that once made him such a difficult cover has not traveled with him.
Fox is averaging 13.9 points per game this season, a steep drop from the level he showed when the Spurs acquired him. The bigger concern is not just the number itself, but the way it has come about: he looks less aggressive hunting his own shot, and that shift has put his offensive role under the microscope while also raising questions about how the league will view his trade value if this version of him sticks around. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Hot Start Still Leaves One Big Tobias Harris Question
Nine straight wins have given the Spurs plenty to like early, but the one major piece they have not yet been able to factor in is Tobias Harris. His absence has left San Antonio to keep sorting through a rotation that is already working, even as the veteran forwards expected return looms as a potential boost in size and shooting.
Harris is the kind of addition that can change the shape of a lineup without forcing the Spurs to tear up what has gotten them off to such a strong start. The open question is where he fits once he is available, since his role could be determined by the coachs decisions and could land anywhere from the starting five to a more defined bench role. [Read more 🡒]