Okay, let’s talk about how I went about figuring out a prediction for the Bulls vs Bucks Summer League game. It’s Summer League, right? So, you gotta take everything with a grain of salt. It’s less about winning championships and more about seeing what the young guys got.
My Process: Breaking it Down
First thing I did was try to find the actual rosters for both teams for this specific game, or at least the Vegas Summer League rosters they brought. You know how it is, sometimes guys sit out, especially if they played a lot the game before or if the team just wants to see other players. So, I looked up who the Bulls had listed and who the Bucks brought along. Are there any key rookies like Julian Phillips for Chicago or maybe Andre Jackson Jr. or Chris Livingston for Milwaukee? Are second-year guys like MarJon Beauchamp (Bucks) getting significant run?
Next, I needed to see how they actually looked in their previous games. I didn’t catch every single minute live, so I went back and looked at box scores and read some quick recaps if I could find ’em.
Things I specifically looked for:
- Who played the most minutes? That usually tells you who the coaches are trying to evaluate seriously.
- Who scored? But more importantly, how efficiently? Chucking up shots doesn’t always mean much in Summer League.
- What did the team stats look like? Turnovers? Rebounds? Assists? Gives you a little feel for how organized they were, even if it’s sloppy sometimes.
- Did anyone pop? Like, really stand out either positively or negatively?
For the Bulls, I tried to see if their guards were controlling the tempo or if they were just playing loose. Sometimes Dalen Terry runs the show, sometimes it’s Javon Freeman-Liberty. How did they look running the offense? And defensively, were they getting stops or just trading baskets?
Then I did the same for the Bucks. Beauchamp usually gets a lot of attention because he has actual NBA experience. How did he look? Was he forcing things or playing within the flow? What about their other guys? Sometimes you find a surprise player who is really hustling, trying to earn a spot or a two-way contract.
Putting It Together (The Tough Part)
Okay, so after looking at the rosters and how they played before, I started thinking about the matchup itself. Does one team just look like they have more overall talent, even if it’s raw talent? The Bulls sometimes seem to have guys who can create their own shot a bit more, but the Bucks might have more experienced guys like Beauchamp who know how to play a role.
Summer League games can be real toss-ups. It often comes down to energy and which team’s players are hungrier on that particular night. Sometimes a team that looked awful one game comes out firing the next.
My Gut Feeling & Prediction
So, digging through all that, checking who played well recently, and considering the likely available players… it’s still tough. Neither team usually blows the doors off in Summer League; they’re focused on development.
But based on what I saw in their earlier games, the Bulls seemed to have a bit more consistent guard play, guys who could handle the ball and make something happen, even if it wasn’t always pretty. The Bucks rely a lot on Beauchamp, and if he has an off night or sits, they can look a bit directionless.
Therefore, I leaned towards the Bulls for this one. Not with huge confidence, mind you! I figured their guards might just create enough offense, and they seemed to have a few guys really trying to prove themselves. I expected it to be a scrappy, maybe low-scoring game, typical Summer League stuff. But yeah, ended up picking the Bulls based on that slightly steadier backcourt performance I thought I saw in the previous matchups.
That’s pretty much how I got there. No fancy algorithms, just looking at the players, how they’ve been playing, and a bit of gut feeling. It’s Summer League – fun to watch the young guys compete!
