Bulls WIN preseason opener vs. Suns in Caleb Wilson's debut

The Bulls tipped off preseason play with a 124-117 victory over the Suns at the United Center. It was a sloppy, roller-coaster affair as expected, with turnovers aplenty committed by both teams. But all preseason caveats aside, there was plenty to break down all across the roster. The main focus was on Caleb Wilson's debut, and it was a predictably messy affair. While there were some tantalizing flashes throughout the night, Wilson's 3-point shot didn't look good and he was a bit overeager on both ends of the court. There will be plenty of growing pains in Wilson's rookie season, and it'll be important for him to learn from his mistakes as he gets more experience. Matas Buzelis also took center stage as the last player announced in the starting lineup, and he had an up-and-down game as well. Buzelis got off to a rip-roaring start with aggressive drives to the basket, but his 3-point shooting was a rough spot. The youngster missed all six of his 3-point attempts, including a number of airballs. Defensively, he had a tough assignment guarding the perimeter, leading to a rather mixed bag on that end. As for the rest of the starting lineup, Norman Powell did his thing in one half, while Josh Giddey looked like Josh Giddey. Jalen Smith got the start in place of the injured Nic Claxton and showed why he has a case to be the Opening Night starting center. Off the bench, Dailyn Swain was thrust into a point guard role again with Tre Jones out, and it looked like it was going to be a disaster at the outset. Swain struggled against ball pressure and committed several ugly turnovers, but instead of spiraling, he got better as the game went on and showed improvement. Tobe Awaka and Leonard Miller were other standouts, while Noa Essengue and Patrick Williams didn't see the court until the second half. Williams did make a pair of 3-pointers in his second-half action, but Essengue once again struggled offensively and looks targeted for the G League. The Bulls play the Grizzlies and Nuggets this weekend as preseason action continues. Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email sales@bluewirepods.com! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.