The Chicago Bulls were set to begin training camp on Thursday, Oct. 1 with the team's first preseason game just days away (Oct. 7 against Phoenix). 

The Bulls' roster has been tweaked in recent weeks, leading the acquisition of long-range sniper Buddy Hield from the Charlotte Hornets among other moves. 

On Wednesday, Bulls coach Tiago Splitter made noteworthy comments on a holdover from last year's team, naming him as the team's best perimeter defender and making a bold comment about his prospects for playing time. 

Splitter named seventh year small forward/shooting guard Isaac Okoro the team's best perimeter defender, calling him a winning player and placing him ahead of bigger names like Hield, Norman Powell and Caleb Wilson.

"(Okoro is) probably our best perimeter defender, so he's definitely gonna play a lot of minutes for us," Splitter said during Bulls Media Day. 

"He's gonna help us win basketball games." 

Splitter continued to pile on the compliments, as told by Bulls writer Joel Loreniz of The Athletic. The worlds "relentless, strong and bulky" were used to describe Okoro, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and also has gained notoriety for using his strong frame to run through and navigate screens. 

The Bulls' defense could be more aggressive this season now that the team's height has increased. Bulls third-year forward Matas Buzelis made the remark during Media Day, as told by Roundtable Sports' Gavin Dorsey. 

"Matas Buzelis says that having Claxton at center & more frontcourt size has allowed the rest of the Bulls' defense to be much more aggressive," Dorsey wrote. 

"Clax, Caleb, Lenny, we're a really tall team," Buzelis added. 

The Bulls aren't likely to be anyone's pick to win the Eastern Conference this season, but a vision for a potential winning team is starting to become a reality. The Bulls have a good mix of perimeter and interior defense, with veteran shooting guard Norman Powell joining Hield, Okoro and Josh Giddey on the perimeter. 

Having strong shot blockers like Wilson and Claxton can erase a lot of mistakes and change the complexion of a game in a hurry. The Bulls have a workable mix of youth and veterans, and a coach with a ton of potential leading them into the season in Splitter, who knows how to win from his days alongside Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan.

Chicago is suddenly looking like a team to watch, and not just because of the potential star power of Caleb Wilson this season.