Styles do make a fight. For that statement to have any truth, however, there first has to be a fight.
That might be the most disappointing takeaway from the Bulls’ season opener Wednesday against the Raptors in Toronto: They showed no fight.
It was evident from the tip and was felt throughout the building. A fight? These opponents weren’t even in the same weight class.
The Raptors were more physical, longer and more disruptive and carried out their 135-92 butt-beating methodically. They were everything Bulls coach Tiago Splitter wants his team to be someday.
‘‘The way we competed,’’ Splitter said when he was asked what disappointed him most about the drubbing. ‘‘After a turnover, getting our heads down when running back, that’s something we cannot accept.’’
That was the headliner in a list of things that can’t be accepted.
But before hoisting the white flag prematurely on the Bulls’ season, here are some nuances to the beating the Raptors delivered:
• The Raptors might have been the worst matchup for the Bulls in an opener because of their length and physicality.
• Rookie Caleb Wilson wasn’t deterred by his slow start or his messy ball security, competing until he was pulled from the game.
• Rebuilds hurt.
Now comes an early-season test — and a couple of questions — for the Bulls.
First, how patient can Splitter be with a group that has yet to reflect his personality on the court?
As a player, Splitter grew up in the Spurs’ organization with coach Gregg Popovich. It was a brand of basketball built on ball movement and unselfishness offensively and on physicality and toughness defensively.
Even in Splitter’s one season as the Trail Blazers’ interim coach, they might have not had the skill other teams had offensively, but they were a top defensive team that tried to make life difficult for their opponents on every possession.
These Bulls are not that.
The return of center Nic Claxton (hamstring) in a few weeks will add rim protection, but it will do little in terms of physicality. What Splitter has to lean on is using the Bulls’ athleticism to cover up for their lack of physicality defensively.
That’s not an easy line to walk, especially against a team such as the Raptors.
Second, how quickly can the Bulls put their opener in the rear-view mirror?
Besides Tre Jones and Zach Collins, no player on the roster should feel as though he played well against the Raptors.
Wilson had a nightmarish first half. Josh Giddey, who now is dealing with a minor issue in his left wrist, was far too passive in pushing the offense. And while Matas Buzelis got to the free-throw line (13-for-16), he was 0-for-4 from three-point range and let the Raptors’ frontcourt have it sway.
Up next are the Bucks, who aren’t the Raptors. That will give the Bulls a chance to put what happened in the opener behind them and re-establish a baseline for how they want to play.
The Bucks lost their opener to the Wizards and are considered to be a basement-dwelling team this season. If the Bulls can’t get a better sense of Splitter’s style of basketball against them Friday, then when?
The Bulls’ schedule is relentless for the next few weeks. They will face the Celtics, Knicks and 76ers twice each, as well as defensive-minded teams such as the Spurs, Hawks and Cavaliers.
Besides the Bucks on Friday and the Wizards in their home opener Saturday, it might be a very long three weeks for the Bulls if they can’t make corrections.
Was the opener against the Raptors rock bottom? Maybe. Either way, though, these Bulls will test Splitter’s patience.