3 Takeaways & Player Grades: Bulls Use Confusing Rotation in 110-101 Loss to Raptors

Make that seven losses in a row for the Chicago Bulls.

To this group's credit, they avoided the kind of blowout loss Toronto handed them back on February 5. The effort level was high, but the execution left a lot to be desired, especially down the stretch of the 110-101 loss.

3 Takeaways

A Very Strange First Quarter

Despite the sweeping trade deadline changes, the Chicago Bulls' starting lineup looked vaguely familiar on Thursday night. The return of Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith meant that four of the team's five starters had been with the franchise all season. Anfernee Simons was the only newbie.

Nevertheless, the Bulls continued to play out of sorts. The physicality of the Toronto Raptors was giving them serious trouble, especially as the re-invented bench started to check in. The lack of chemistry was painfully apparent as the team turned the ball over 11 times in the first 12 minutes of action. Toronto turned those mistakes into an easy 14 points.

If we were back in the era of no scorebug, you would have assumed the Raptors were comfortably up by double digits. They were hounding the Bulls defensively and overpowering them in the paint. In reality, however, the first quarter ended with Chicago down a mere 25-23.

While Toronto may have had the possession advantage, they failed to create much for themselves in the halfcourt. They shot just 40.5 percent from the field, which included shanking several lower-percentage shots from the mid-range. Meanwhile, the Bulls were at least prioritizing the right looks when they were able to hold onto the ball, shooting 53.3 percent in the quarter.

The bizarre opening frame set the right tone for what ended up as an ugly, low-scoring night. Toronto would put together some decent runs to stretch their lead to double digits, yet the Bulls' depth continued to come through with some timely shots. They even found themselves within just a possession near the end of the fourth quarter. When you turn the ball over 20 times, however, rarely do the basketball gods reward you with a victory.

A Concerning Rotation

If you're going to be losing anyway, why not turn the game into a learning opportunity?

With Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, and Jalen Smith back in the mix, there were major questions about what the Bulls' rotation might look like. The organization put the coaching staff in a tough place with the many guard pick-ups at this year's deadline. The prior injuries made it easy to play Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Jaden Ivey, and Rob Dillingham 25+ minutes a night. Now, however, tough decisions had to be made.

Limiting minutes for one of Simons or Sexton has felt like the most rational decision for an organization in rebuild mode. Ivey is a restricted free agent this summer, while Dillingham remains under contract moving forward. Both are on the younger side and presumably targeted by Chicago in an attempt to evaluate their long-term fit. This is why what transpired tonight left many scratching their heads.

Jaden Ivey recorded his first DNP in a Bulls uniform. Meanwhile, Rob Dillingham was the 11th man and suited up for only 10 minutes of action. Head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who was filling in for Billy Donovan, called it nothing more than a "basketball decision." He believed the group he had on the floor tonight gave the Bulls their best chance to win.

You can't blame a coach for ... well ... coaching, but there is something to be said about organizational alignment. If development is the priority over the next month and a half, Dillingham and Ivey need to play meaningful minutes alongside Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.

Speaking of which, another shocking decision came with under 2 minutes left on the clock. Unseld Jr. proceeded to pull Matas Buzelis from the game despite the Bulls being down a single possession. A core piece and arguably the team's most important building block, it felt like the exact kind of situation they should want him to be a part of. With the Ivey DNP already having me scratching my head, this made me draw blood.

Now, Unseld Jr. did imply that what fans saw tonight isn't the new status quo. Billy Donovan will make his own calls upon his return, and we're bound to see plenty of rotational shuffling with so many new players. Still, tonight's decision-making was undoubtedly an odd way to start this post-trade-deadline stretch.

A Decent Adjustment

Look, evaluating this game in a vacuum, the Chicago Bulls and Unseld Jr. do deserve credit for some decent in-game adjustments. They did a much better job embracing the physicality as the night went along.

The fact that they were able to even the playing field on the boards is noteworthy, as is the fact that five different players finished the night with a block. The group as a whole did a much better job trying to protect the paint and hustling back in transition. The Raptors shot just 42.2 percent overall and also coughed the ball up 14 times.

You simply can not bash this new-look team for a lack of energy or effort. The Bulls were trying to make this thing interesting, and they did that up until the final 2 minutes of action.

Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Tre Jones – B+
Stats: 12 PTS, 6 AST, 0 TOV

Considering he had not suited up in nearly a month, this was a strong first game back for Tre Jones. Not only did he score some timely buckets in transition, but he set the table well for his new teammates. The Bulls wouldn't have kept this one tight without him.

Isaac Okoro – B
Stats: 16 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST

Isaac Okoro was the only starter to not finish with a negative plus-minus, and rightfully so. He knocked down three of his five long-range attempts and did what he could to match the physicality of this long and strong Raptors team.

Jalen Smith – B-
Stats: 9 PTS, 10 REB, 3 STL

It was difficult not to respect how hard Jalen Smith played. While he may not have had the most muscle in the frontcourt, he fought hard on the glass and was scrappy defensively.

Anfernee Simons – C+
Stats: 20 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST

Anfernee Simons is a professional bucket-getter. He is one of the only players on this current team who can consistently create for himself off the bounce. With that said, he was 7-18 from the field and 4-11 from deep. The Bulls will want to share the wealth a little more offensively.

Matas Buzelis – D+
Stats: 4 PTS, 6 REB, 4 TOV

It was not the sophomore's night following a busy All-Star break.

Josh Giddey – D
Stats: 5 PTS, 5 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL

Josh Giddey just didn't look comfortable from the start, but can you blame him? He's only suited up four times over the Bulls' last 19 games. There was bound to be some rust.