DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls face litmus test early in the season

If they can't perform well against these teams, it could be a long year for Chicago

© Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls are coming into the 2022-2023 season with many question marks. After their most successful season in seven years, many wonder what the Bulls can do to continue building on that success. 

One of the biggest challenges facing the Bulls right now is their schedule. The early part of the season includes several tough matchups against the top teams in the Eastern Conference, including the reigning East champs, the Boston Celtics. If they can't perform well against these teams, it could be a long year for Chicago.

Gauntlet of games

The Bulls have their work cut out in the season's first two weeks. They open their season on the road with a match against the Miami Heat. After a game against the Washington Wizards, they head home to face Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They follow that up with a game versus the Celtics. Later in the week, they battle the star-studded Philadelphia Sixers and Brooklyn Nets.

Bulls All-Star wingman DeMar DeRozan said he and his team are up for the challenge.

"For sure. I don't want nothing easy. Playing against the best, it brings out the best in you," said DeRozan.

DeMar getting going! @DeMar_DeRozan | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/la9cTzoTbg

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 9, 2022

A new start

The Bulls seek to turn things around after going 2-21 against the top teams in the Eastern and Western Conference last season. Although they made it to the first round of the NBA Playoffs, they were quickly ousted by the Milwaukee Bucks, losing by an average of more than 14 points. DeRozan hopes they can take the lessons of last year and use them to improve this time.

"Obviously you can learn a lot from it as far as what was the reasoning, why we think (the losses happened), switching it up, trying to be better offensively, tighten up defensively, understanding all our weakness, why those losses came and approaching them different this time around," shared the Compton native.

Every new season brings a new start filled with hope, and DeRozan believes things will be different this time.

"Sometimes you've gotta have a learning experience. We had a hell of a learning experience versus top teams last year. Now we got a new start," the Bulls superstar said.