Tiago Splitter Already Setting Tone Ahead of Bulls Summer League

It's abnormal for NBA head coaches to lead their teams during the Summer League, but that's exactly what Tiago Splitter plans to do.

Splitter will coach the Bulls' first two games in Las Vegas before handing the duties over to his assistants. The slate begins with matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies on July 10 and the Utah Jazz on July 13, and Splitter said his decision to take the unusual route was so that he could work with his new players and staff before the regular season tips off in October.

Action begins this weekend, but Splitter has already gotten a head start in setting the tone for the franchise he plans to guide. The Bulls began practice on Monday, giving the new head coach a close look at young talents Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain and Noa Essengue.

Tuesday's session was the team's first scrimmage, in which Splitter said the Bulls emphasized ball security, rebounding and playing fast during a "more competitive" practice.

"That's something that we've told the whole team: [Summer League] is about competing, playing hard," Splitter told the media on Tuesday afternoon. "We're going to make mistakes. That's part of it. You learn when you make mistakes, especially at this age. We'll try to learn from everything, learn from the experience, and move on."

Wilson, Swain and Essengue are projected to take significant roles for the Bulls come regular season, despite their youth. While Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey are the more established players, the trio of recent first-round draft picks will shape just how near or distant a bright future is in Chicago.

Splitter said the organization and coaches already have an idea of how they want to play, but nothing is final until they truly see how the team meshes together on the floor.

"When you start camp and you start to know these players better and how they have a chemistry together, you figure out how it's going to be the best way to play," Splitter said. "Where are we going to put the shooters? Where are we going to put the drivers? How are we going to attack the rebounds? Those things we already know, but who's going to play with who — and how — is going to be determined in these next three to four months before we start."

Friday's game against No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer and the Grizzlies provides a strong initial reference point for where exactly the Chicago Bulls are.