Chicago Bulls: Takeaways From Preseason Opener

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Oct 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) hurts his ankle while defending Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Familiar Trend Rears Its Ugly Head

One factor that has been a concern for Hoiberg with his new-look roster is turnovers. As it turned out, there was a valid reason for those worries.

After the Bulls scored the first eight points of the game — en route to an early 16-5 advantage — turnovers and missed defensive assignments were a big part of the picture from that point on.

In the first half, the Bulls recorded 12 turnovers, eight of which occurred in the first quarter, which contributed to the double digit deficit that I spoke about earlier. For the game, Chicago finished with 22 turnovers — something that Hoiberg emphasized after the game.

"“Those just kill you,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said, via the DailyHerald.com. “It puts your defense in jeopardy when you turn the ball over like that and you’re playing on your heels. Again, it comes down to taking care of the basketball. That’s been our biggest issue in practice, the turnovers. We’ve got to get that cleaned up.”"

How significant were those turnovers?

Well, despite the fact the Bulls shot a better percentage from the field than their counterparts (46 to 38 percent), they still came up a bit short.

Simply put, the Bulls have to correct this trend over the next several weeks if they hope to improve their chances of being part of the conference playoff race.

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