Coming into the season, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Chicago Bulls was simple: Who was going to make threes on this team?

Bryson Graham attempted to address that issue early in free agency by signing All-Star Norman Powell to a short-term contract. Powell had established himself as one of the NBA's most reliable perimeter scorers in recent years, and his veteran leadership and floor spacing figured to be valuable additions to a rebuilding Bulls team.

But Chicago still needed more shooting. As the season approached, Graham made another move, sending Rob Dillingham to Charlotte in exchange for veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield.

With two established three-point shooters joining the roster, the Bulls appeared to have addressed one of their most glaring weaknesses.

Nine games later, that confidence has disappeared.

The Bulls currently sit at 1-8, a record that isn't necessarily surprising. Chicago is one of the youngest teams in the league, operating under a new coaching staff in the first year of a rebuild. Throw in a brutal opening schedule against some of the NBA's best teams and losses were always going to come.

But few expected Chicago to look this bad.

The Bulls have routinely found themselves buried in massive first-half deficits, struggling to generate consistent offense and spending much of their games desperately trying to claw their way back.

There are plenty of problems with this roster, but perhaps the most surprising has been Chicago's inability to shoot the basketball.

Despite adding Powell and Hield, the Bulls are shooting an abysmal 27.2% from beyond the arc.

Hield has actually been respectable, connecting on 38% of his three-point attempts, albeit on limited volume. Powell, meanwhile, has struggled mightily, shooting just 30% from deep while taking a significant number of attempts.

For a team that specifically acquired these players to improve its perimeter offense, those numbers are concerning.

But Sunday's loss to Philadelphia revealed something even more interesting.

With Powell and Hield both unavailable against the 76ers, Chicago was forced to make some adjustments.

Isaac Okoro entered the starting lineup while Jordan Hawkins took over Hield's minutes off the bench.

And somehow, the Bulls put together arguably their best offensive performance of the season.

Josh Giddey was the biggest beneficiary of Powell's absence. Without another ball-dominant scorer occupying possessions in the starting lineup, Giddey was free to control the offense.

The results were impressive.

Giddey finished with 19 points and 15 assists, consistently attacking the paint and creating opportunities for his teammates. Rather than sharing offensive responsibilities with Powell, Giddey could dictate the tempo and make decisions with the ball in his hands.

Matas Buzelis also appeared more comfortable offensively. Instead of immediately looking to swing the ball whenever he touched it, the third-year forward played more aggressively and delivered his best performance of the season.

Even Hawkins, who connected on just one three-pointer, brought an activity level off the bench that felt more impactful than many of Hield's minutes this season.

The Bulls weren't necessarily more talented without their veteran shooters.

They just looked more comfortable.

Does that mean Powell and Hield aren't valuable pieces of this roster?

Absolutely not.

Both players provide offensive versatility that Chicago's younger players simply cannot replicate.

Their ability to fly around down screens, stretch defenses and punish defenders for going under ball screens allows the Bulls to run more sophisticated half-court sets.

That type of offense becomes especially important when games slow down, particularly in the playoffs when transition opportunities disappear and teams are forced to manufacture quality looks against set defenses.

There's also a developmental argument for keeping both veterans heavily involved.

Learning to operate within a more nuanced offensive system is valuable experience for young players like Giddey, Buzelis and Caleb Wilson. Eventually, these players need to understand how to create offense beyond simply attacking the paint and reacting to defensive rotations.

But is that what's best for this Bulls team right now?

The short answer is no.

If the Bulls want to be competitive in the immediate future, Sunday's performance offered a pretty clear blueprint.

Put the ball in Giddey's hands and let him create.

Allow him to attack the paint, collapse defenses and find cutters and shooters. Give Buzelis opportunities to be aggressive rather than forcing him into a passive role within a complicated half-court offense.

Most importantly, let Chicago's young players operate in a system that complements their current strengths.

Will that approach suddenly turn the Bulls into a winning team?

Probably not.

But the Bulls aren't competing for a championship this season. They're trying to develop a young core and establish an offensive identity.

Powell and Hield can still play important roles in that process. Their shooting and veteran experience will remain valuable as the season progresses.

However, Sunday's performance suggested that Chicago might be trying to run an offense its personnel simply isn't ready to execute consistently.

Sometimes the best way to develop young players isn't to make the game more complicated.

It's to let them do what they already do well.

Eventually Chicago will have to adapt their gameplan to become a more competitive team, but for now, giving this young core opportunities to do what they do best might be best for a rebuilding Bulls team.