The Bulls official wrap-up an exciting 2021-22 regular season on Sunday when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Chicago comes into Sunday night sitting at 45-36, so far a 14-win improvement over their record in the 2020-2021.
For Sunday's tilt with the Timberwolves, the Bulls will be without the services of Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Coby White and Matt Thomas.
This will provide valuable playing time for young players and veterans from the bench unit. Here's how Chicago shorthanded group matches up on Sunday evening.
Patrick Williams shot attempts
In a game as complex as basketball, it's, of course, disrespectful to boil a player's success or failure on the court down to one thing. And that isn't what we're doing here.
The desire for Bulls top-4 draft pick Patrick Williams to to shoot the ball more has to be balanced delicately within an offense that already has more than enough shot creators.
That being said, on a night where most of the Bulls' regulars will be sitting, there is no excuse for Williams not to explore the limits of his offensive game. Williams has to no doubt adhere to Billy Donovan's gameplan but there should be room a more aggressive Williams on Sunday night.
Aggressive defense
With a group on the court that should be full of energy, the Bulls' defense has a chance to instill some overall team confidence heading into the postseason.
Even if all of the players participating in Sunday's game don't get a chance to shine in the postseason, a great effort on defense would surely please the coaching staff and energize the fanbase.
The T-Wolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns but will still have young, big-time scorer Anthony Edwards on the floor.
Chicago will need to bring a strong effort on defense if they want to slow down Edwards and pull off the regular season-ending win on Sunday.
Free-flowing offense
With a group of players on the floor that perhaps haven't been as heavily scouted by opponents, the Bulls have a chance to randomize their offensive a bit.
Hand-offs, pick-and-rolls, pick-and-pops involving two guards and any other tricks the coaching staff want a final look at before the postseason could be on display.
This should provide an opportunity for players like Troy Brown Jr., Ayo Dosunmu, Javonte Green and Tony Bradley to show how they could provide value in a role in Donovan's postseason rotation.
The Bulls offense has struggled badly as of late, producing a 110.8 offensive rating over the last 10 games, a mark that ranks 25th in the league over that span per NBA.com/stats.
If any of the players on the court for tonight's Sunday night tilt believe they can positively impact the offense, now is the time to show it.