Wendell Carter Jr. didn’t say a word after the Bulls fell to the Atlanta Hawks 124-104 in a season opener that didn’t seem as close as the final score.
“We just didn’t come to play as a team,” said Carter. “I wouldn’t necessarily call this an alert. It’s reality. S – t, we have to come and play, and we did not come to play on both sides.
“A lot of us got into our own heads, including myself, worrying about the things that happened instead of worrying about the moment. Just kind of speaking for myself, I just have to do better, just do what I do my best. I just spoke to my teammates, I apologized for the effort I showed tonight, and I will be better for my team. ”
Carter ended the night with six points, six rebounds, two assists and three turns in 26 minutes of action. He hit two of his five shots, but missed two attempts at 3 points, raising his mark in the last category to 1 out of 18 since the start of the preseason.
“This is something that I have always struggled with throughout my career since I started playing basketball. When I work on a particular vessel for a long time, to see that the ball does not fall, it bounces on the edge, goes in and out, and I tend to fall on myself, “said Carter.” I told the coach (Bulls head) (Billy Donovan) I will improve, especially with him giving me the green light … I have to be able to make these shots, hit or miss, and still go back and play defense on the other side, it doesn’t matter what is happening in the offensive end. ”
The Bulls made a weak effort on the defensive side, allowing the Hawks to shoot better than 50 percent from the ground and 40 percent from 3 and dominate the interior, scoring 50 points of paint in 25 of 37 shots (67.6 percent) . All of these marks were considerably higher before trash time took over, with Atlanta building a 40-point lead in the middle of the third quarter.
As someone who said he hopes to be the anchor for this team’s defense, Carter has taken control of such effort and responsibility for spurring a recovery. That’s why he apologized to his teammates after the competition.
“I just showed no effort,” said Carter. “I felt like a slow step, I just felt worried about the wrong things. This league is a racing game. There are too many good players in this league not to be played, so I feel that for myself – and I can only speak for myself – I have to learn that something is going to happen.
“How are we going to react to this, how are we going to come back from them by making three or four baskets in a row. Are we finally going to stop and go down and take a good shot at ourselves? Or are we going to get in and worry about our own things? Is that something I need to work, and I feel it can be a quick fix in terms of the next game. ”
It doesn’t get any easier from here, with the Indiana Pacers arriving in town on Saturday. The Bulls and Carter hope that the responsibility will be the beginning of a turnaround.
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