Daily Bulls

The Chicago Bulls will return to the court with their first preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Though the starters will not play the entire game, the Bulls will play their first game at the United Center since April 24th, when they lost game 4, 119-95, against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 Postseason. But the Bulls will look to use the first-round loss as motivation to make a deep 2023 playoff push.

NBA fans will see Zion Williamson play for the first time since May 4th, 2021. This game will be part of the doubleheader on TNT, with the first game being Pistons-Knicks, at 6:00 CT and Bulls-Pelicans at 8:30 CT. These preseason games won’t matter, but the games are fun to watch and see your favorite players play for the first time in months. Here are three things to watch out for during the game.

3 things to Watch Out For

Starting Point Guard Competition

The number one storyline heading into preseason play is who will start at point guard for the Bulls. Early in training camp, Billy Donavon made it clear the four candidates would be Ayo Dosunmu, Goran Dragic, Coby White, and Alex Caruso. You can argue for both players, with Ayo Dosunmu having a solid rookie season and Goran Dragic being a veteran and knowing his job. But ultimately, the final two in the race will be Ayo and Goran.

Rumors have said Ayo Dosunmu will start against the Pelicans, but not official news. Expect Dosunmu to start, but Dragic might play well enough to start on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. Last season, Dragic averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 21 games with the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors.

First Dalen Terry Appearance

Bulls fans will see Dalen Terry in an official Chicago Bulls jersey at the United Center for the first time this season. Expect Terry to get at least 20 minutes of playing time and play in the second half and possibly in the fourth quarter. During the Summer League, he showed positive signs attacking the basket, scoring in double-digits in three out of the five games. He became more confident every game since he didn’t have a point guard-type role on the Summer League team.

The two areas of improvement for Terry are three-point shooting and turnovers. Terry had 18 turnovers during the five games played in Las Vegas. But with the Bulls, he won’t be expected to have a point guard role. He will be more of a wing player. But the positive side of Terry is his defensive energy, just like Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball. Hopefully, he shows flashes of his excellent on-ball defense against the Pelicans.

Final Two-Way Contract Spot

The most significant part of the Preseason is the battles for the Two-Way Contract, which will be on display with Carlik Jones, Javon Freeman-Liberty, and recently signed Kostas Antetokounmpo. The first two-way contract got given to forward Justin Lewis, who underwent surgery for a right ACL injury in August. The second two-way contract got give to Malcolm Hill last month. All three players are expected to play and might play in the fourth quarter depending on the different lineups and how long the Bulls starters play.

Carlik Jones earned his training camp spot with good performances with the Bulls Summer League squad in Las Vegas. Jones led the Bulls in assists per game at 6.2 and scored in double-digits three times, including a 17-point performance when he went perfect from the field, 7-for-7. Javon Freeman-Liberty got his training camp contract after the draft and struggled in Vegas with the Bulls but finished the Summer League strong with an 11-point performance, 4-for-7 from the field in a Bulls win over the 76ers. The fan-favorite Kostas Antetokounmpo will play his first NBA game since last year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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