Miles Bridges tweaked his ankle on a freak play, and Jordan Ott said it "sucked the wind out of" a Suns group that had been playing well this preseason. No update; evaluation Oct. 8. "It didn't look that bad," Ott said. If Bridges can go next game, he plays.
Caleb Wilson says a bigger ball-handling role with the Bulls "comes with time and that comes with my coach trusting me and me showing it." Coach Tiago Splitter accepts Wilson's turnaround jumper only as a last resort: "he can make it. I don't love it."
Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis should "dictate the offense instead of just waiting for the offense to attack," Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said. Norman Powell tells both to shoot. Buzelis on last season: "We didn't know who was playing." He says roles are clearer now.
Nic Claxton is out, Zach Collins is "probably close to coming back, but not 100% yet," so the Bulls lack bigs. Tiago Splitter says Tobe Awaka will play "short minutes," nobody should top 35 minutes in the preseason opener, and he'll try small and maybe double-big lineups.
"Whether it's to sit out or play, I'm gonna pick play every single time." Norman Powell would play every Bulls preseason game if given the choice, but defers to the medical and coaching staff on minutes. With few true shooting guards, he isn't worried about wear and tear.
Patrick Williams probably won't get the touches he used to, Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said, but "with the role that I'm asking him to do, he's doing a good job." Asked if Williams has a rotation spot, Splitter didn't commit: "Nothing is... written in stone yet."