That Should Be the Bulls: Wizards-Bucks Edition

This is an occasional feature where Chicago Bulls Confidential writers go to an NBA game not involving the Bulls. The idea is to look at what both teams are doing that the Bulls need to do down the road because let’s face it: they have no place to go but up.

On Monday, yours truly and his girlfriend drove up to the BMO Harris Bradley Center to watch the host Milwaukee Bucks take on the Southeast-leading Washington Wizards. The first thing to know is it was nice to not have a rooting interest in either team, so the pure enjoyment of basketball was a foregone conclusion. Just kicking back with some concessions made for a more pleasant experience than wondering how your team is going to screw it up. Every Bulls fan must do this at least once sometime in the rest of this decade because a break from lousy basketball will be needed.

Here are a few takeaways from the game, a 99–88 Wizards victory:

1. Your second-best player must be a scorer. Bradley Beal took over the game with 23 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field. With a pair of 3-pointers, he became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 700 for his career (24 years, 146 days). In most cases, the second banana on great NBA teams is known for finding his own way to score, regardless of how it happens. It’s safe to say the Bulls haven’t had a player like that since Scottie Pippen.
2. Your best player must be well-rounded and exciting. Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably my favorite young player in the league because of his athleticism and ability to create on both ends. On a 23-point night, his best moment came in the second quarter when he blocked John Wall before promptly making a layup that briefly gave the Bucks a lead. Derrick Rose was fantastic before his ACL tear, but can you imagine what would have happened had the Greek Freak been the centerpiece of the 2010–11 Bulls instead? Whoever the next Bulls superstar is, he better be on par with Antetokounmpo, who turns 23 in a couple of weeks.
3. You must have a proven floor general. The importance of a reliable point guard cannot be stated enough. Wall and Eric Bledsoe have solid track records of running offenses as well as making their own contributions. Wall scored 15 points to go with six assists. Bledsoe’s 14 points complimented his six steals. If only the Bulls’ story up top dealt with a player with few flaws to his game, not whether Kris Dunn or Jerian Grant can make fewer mistakes.
4. Your center must be two-way. Marcin Gortat and John Henson both did what one should expect from a big man: score and rebound. Gortat had a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds, while 10s were wild for Henson in those departments. Robin Lopez makes this one of the least worrisome problems for the Bulls right now, but the issue will come to the forefront once they trade him. All Cristiano Felicio has proven so far this season is the team will need to look elsewhere when competitiveness resumes in Chicago.
5. Have a talented young player come off the bench. With 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed more on the scoreboard than the entire Bucks bench. Oubre’s having a breakout year in his third season, making significant strides in nearly every major category. This area might be a little tougher for the Bulls to address because you never know if someone like Oubre will keep it going from season to season. Even so, the best course of action is to draft someone in the second round who could be a solid sixth man going forward.

When watching a team like the 2017–18 Bulls, it’s easy to forget what watchable basketball looks like. Exposure to it in person for one night refreshes one’s memory and makes you remember what the worst team in the league needs to find so it can be relevant once again. Of course, the Bucks and Wizards have been building for years, and the Bulls’ rebuild just began. Back to the reality of praying for the ping pong balls to fall the right way in May.