It was a night at the United Center unlike any other.
Gray canopies covered most of the lower-bowl seating, the rumbling echo of fake crowd noise was pumped in through the speakers as possessions changed and players on the bench were separated by coolers and chairs.
It was just another reminder of the coronavirus and the havoc it has caused in the sports world.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, it was a night that was also way too familiar.
Too many lapses on defense, too many lost possessions on offense and an opposing team strolling into the Bulls’ backyard, feeling very comfortable.
Most of the Bulls looked like a group that hadn’t played a competitive NBA game in nine months, a March 10 win against Cleveland to be exact.
But this new front-office regime and coaching staff don’t play the excuse game. So as stale as the product was expected to look, that still didn’t sit well in the Bulls’ 125-104 loss to the Rockets on Friday.
“The thing I would say based on what we tried to focus on was we did not guard the ball well enough, we did not help well enough and we didn’t block out well enough,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “We’ve got to build those habits. We can’t afford to give up second-chance opportunities like that. I think this was really good for us because we got our butt kicked in a lot of ways, which was good, but I think it also gives us a point of reference from the standpoint of the things we’ve got to focus on.’’
There were some moments. Coby White overcame a disappointing first half to look more engaged and confident in the third quarter, and Zach LaVine was still as smooth a scorer as the Bulls have seen since Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler were regulars at the United Center.
The real bright spot, however, was rookie Patrick Williams.
The No. 4 overall pick in the draft was getting a lot of hype throughout the first week of full-group activities in training camp, and against the Rockets, he showed why.
He played with confidence on the offensive end, hitting four of his first five shots and finishing with 12 points, and he looked fairly comfortable. But he also looked fearless on the defensive end, guarding John Wall on several possessions and showing a willingness to play with physicality.
Not bad for a 19-year-old who had no rookie minicamp and no Summer League to get an NBA crash course.
“Every day we’re just coming in, putting in new things and then getting up and down a little bit, seeing what I know, what comes natural, things like that,’’ Williams said.
His teammates weren’t surprised.
“[Williams is] just long and athletic, and he’s been really good for our perimeter defense,’’ Lauri Markkanen said. “And I always talk about his float game. I don’t think I’ve seen him miss a shot, so that’s looking very solid.’’
It did against the Rockets, as Williams had two nice floaters in the third quarter.
“You can see that he wants it,’’ veteran forward Thad Young said. “He’s going to be really good in this league. He’s a young kid with a big body, very athletic. He can get to the mid-range and make shots. He can make the three. He has a lot of stuff in his arsenal, a lot of stuff in his package. I definitely see it in him. I definitely think he’s going to be in this league a long time.”
