Until the Zach LaVine trade, the Bulls looked very much like a team between identities. Now, they’re playing a faster style built around Josh Giddey and Coby White.
Bennett Stirtz, Nique Clifford, Max Shulga, Tyon Grant-Foster and JaKobe Coles are names to watch from an NBA draft perspective in the early rounds of the tournament.
Big, glitzy talents are often given a longer leash by fans, expected to contend for titles even after non-dominant regular seasons. Even in this parity era, the odds of those teams actually winning a title remain slim.
Both the Thunder and Rockets are frenetic, physical, and new in a way that quickly washes the rubbish from your mind when you’re watching them, if you care at all about the real physical pleasures of the sport.
