Why the Chicago Bulls might be headed toward a rebuild, Yuta Watanabe is the surprise of the NBA, and Ben Simmons makes his long-awaited return to Philly.

Happy Humpday!

CHICAGO BULLS

Why the Chicago Bulls Might Be Headed Toward a Rebuild

Life in the NBA comes at you fast. The Bulls were the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference for a significant portion of last year and now find themselves in 11th place 17 games into the season. While they have several talented players and a few high-upside youngsters, they lack a true superstar and might be better off looking to the future.

The Bulls are probably better than their record indicates, as they’ve brought back most of the same roster as last year, but are notably missing Lonzo Ball, who remains injured and without a clear timetable for return, but the worst thing you can be in the NBA is mediocre, and with a generational talent waiting in next year’s draft, there is even more incentive to give a rebuild a shot.

How they approach their rebuild is up to them. They could take a big swing and move Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan to the Lakers for their highly coveted future picks and burn it to the ground. They could ship everyone not named Zach Lavine, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Williams, and re-tool the way Portland did around Dame. It’s up to the Chicago brass how bold they want to be, but given their aging core and their current woes, it’s clear that change is needed.

YUTA WATANBE

Yuta Watanbe is THE Surprise of the NBA

The Brooklyn Nets may have stumbled out of the gate to start this season, but one bright spot has been the shocking emergence of Yuta Watanabe. Watanabe signed a non-guaranteed contract this past offseason and currently leads the NBA in 3-point shooting. Watanabe has shot 50% or more from three in 10 of 17 games this season and boasts a 57.1 3-point shooting percentage and a 76.6 effective field goal percentage.

Under GM Sean Marks, the Nets have historically done well finding these diamond-in-the-rough players, such as Joe Harris or Spencer Dinwiddie, although the 28-year-old Watanabe might be their most surprising find yet. Watanabe’s NBA career began in 2018 with the Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent and has bounced around between Memphis, their G-League affiliate, and Toronto before joining the Nets this offseason.

Due to the nature of his non-guaranteed deal, Watanabe isn’t eligible for a reconstructed contract until January 10th, but it’s safe to say with the way he’s playing, he’ll be in Brooklyn for years to come.

BEN SIMMONS

Ben Simmons Makes his Long-Awaited Return to Philly

Ben Simmons took the court in Philadelphia last night for the first time since his complicated and messy exit from the 76ers, clearing one of his biggest mental hurdles in the process. Simmons played rather well racking up 11 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. He filled the stat sheet up however Philly got the last laugh with a W.

Competing against Philly and their notoriously tough crowd seemed impossible just a few weeks ago as Simmons really struggled to start the season. Simmons looked timid, he wasn’t shooting and was regularly fouling out, but appeared to turn a corner after a matchup with the Sacramento Kings. Since then, he's gradually improved in each game, culminating with an impressive 22-8-5 on 11-13 shooting against the Grizzlies.

Simmons is playing with much more confidence, and it’s showing on and off the court. He knew going into last night's game that the Wells Fargo Center would be among the most hostile environments he’s ever going to play in, but because he put in the work rehabbing his body and mind, he was able to face it head-on.

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