The Bykov won’t change their offensive approach over the next four to six weeks Caleb Wilson recovered from a fracture of the right armwrites Jeff Agrest of The Chicago Sun-Times. coach Tiago Splitter has begun to place more responsibility on its star rookie, who ranks second on the team in scoring at 18.9 ppg. Splitter said other players will have to fill in for Wilson’s contributions until he returns.
“Of course we’ll miss him, but that doesn’t change what we want to do.” Splitter stated. ”Everyone else will have more shots. I don’t expect just one guy to be more aggressive. Naturally, the game will find the throws and the players will make those throws. It doesn’t bother me.”
Wilson will interact closely with the team while he recovers, as Splitter said he will attend practices and watch video. Splitter added that Wilson will get a different perspective on the game watching from the bench, and the injured hand shouldn’t affect his ability to stay in shape.
“It’s just bad luck, a weird injury,” said Splitter. “You just have to be patient.”
More on the Bulls:
- Nick Claxton is progressing towards his normal workload after returning from a left hamstring strain, meaning he and Jalen Smith will be used more often in double syllables, Gooseberry adds. In the first two games, Claxton was limited to 16-20 minutes a night, and Splitter hopes to increase that to 20-24 minutes.
- Wilson’s absence must give Matas Bouzelis an opportunity to rediscover the role he played in the offense last season, Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune watches in history only for subscribers. She notes that Wilson and Bouzelis have been awkward so far, as Chicago has lost nine of 10 games when both have been available, and they haven’t found a “comfort zone” to complement each other’s talents.
- Patrick Williams notes that he reached double figures in Friday’s win over Atlanta for the first time this season Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. In the last four games, Williams has spent rotation minutes off the bench after recovering from a quad injury.
- Disappointment from 1-9 start didn’t lead to locker room problems, Smith says Joe Cawley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re good at it” he said. “We’re a young team, we’re really connected, you know. Pretty much everyone is around the same age, plus or minus a few guys, so we have a great relationship. We knew it was going to be tough — brand new front office, brand new coaching staff — we just have to put together wins. The NBA is a big boys’ league, you lose, you lose, but you want to fight. I think we’re making the right moves. Everybody trusts the process, everybody puts in the extra work, watching films, making sure we correct our mistakes.’
- Leonard Miller has fallen out of the rotation lately, but will likely get more chances as the season wears on, Cowley adds. “He’s had a great summer for us, pre-season,” said Splitter. “…He didn’t start the season the way he wanted, but hopefully he can bounce back and play like he did in the summer.”