3 Ways the Chicago Bulls can beat the New Orleans Pelicans

With the teams first preseason action of the year happening in just a few hours, let’s look at 3 ways the Bulls can beat the Pelicans.

Now that the day has finally come that Chicago Bulls basketball is back, we get to see just how good, or bad that this team is. If the team is intent on rebuilding and tanking for a high lottery pick in next seasons historically loaded NBA Draft, they are doing mighty fine. During the 2016 NBA draft the Bulls made a trade for a couple of Wolves outliers and a big man from Finland, other than those moves the team did not do much to inspire fans. John Paxson and Gar Forman have made it clear that they are content with riding it until the wheels fall off. Bad news for them? There may only be one wheel left on this ride. Tonight will be the first of many nights of sadness for Bulls fans, but let’s give you 3 ways the Bulls can win despite having less talent.

Play Small Ball

Everybody knows that the New Orleans Pelicans are built around 2 of the best 7 footers in the league currently, in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Both of them have outstanding speed and defensive prowess, but if the Bulls use their own speed in the right way, they can run them out of the gym. The ideal small ball line for the currently constructed Bulls would be to play Bobby Portis at the 5, Zipser as the PF, Denzel Valentine at the SF spot. With those 3 players in the front court the Bulls would be able to construct a backcourt of Justin Holiday and Kris Dunn. This may not be a pretty game, but for the Bulls to have a chance winning they must at least try the small ball lineup.

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Shoot the 3 better

In 2016, the Chicago Bulls were among the worst teams to shoot the 3 pointer. Of course, a team who’s 2nd best 3 point shooter is Nikola Mirotic is not going to be good either way you put it. They can only hope for the best. With the Pelicans having 2 big men down in the paint, there is simply no way that the Bulls will be able to score in the paint consistently. The teams best 3 point shooter is currently Bobby Portis, who will be looking to take the next step this season. Denzel Valentine will also be looking to prove that he is part of the teams’ future plans. When they drafted him in the 1st round last year he was not expected to play much behind Jimmy Butler and Dwayne Wade, but with both of them gone Valentine will be thrust into the spotlight.

Pass the ball more

Last season, the Bulls ranked 16th among the entire league when it came to assists. However, those numbers are a little skewed, as Rajon Rondo had a third of the entire teams’ assists. With Kris Dunn leading the way this season he must show that last season was just a fluke. Coming out of Providence and being drafted early by the Timberwolves, Dunn had plenty of hype around him. As the season went on, many fans began to get angry at him for not living up to what he was billed to be. For this game to be a success, Kris Dunn will have to show fans he is going to be a joy to watch this season.

Next: How Mitchell Trubisky can help the Bears offense

This may just be a preseason game, but it is the first action of the 2017 season for the Chicago Bulls. Fans should be excited that basketball is back, even if the team may not be good. If you just so happen to be a Chicago Bulls fan down in New Orleans don’t forget to check out the team at the Smoothie King Center at 7 PM.