While the Chicago Bulls may have dropped to 1-8 on Sunday afternoon, they played arguably their most competitive game of the year.

The Philadelphia 76ers had their backs against the wall for most of the game. A young Chicago team did a great job using their athleticism to their advantage, pushing the pace to create some high-percentage looks in the paint. It's why they shot a season-high 52.3 percent from the field, with all five starters scoring in double figures.

What made the strong effort stand out even more was that it came with a new-look starting lineup on the floor. No, the change didn't come at the five as many expected. Tiago Splitter chose to stick with Jalen Smith at starting center while Nic Claxton works himself back into game shape. Instead, there was a backcourt change for the Bulls after Norman Powell was ruled out with back spasms.

Splitter chose to go with Isaac Okoro next to Josh Giddey. On paper, it's a fit that leaves a lot to be desired, specifically when we consider that duo's lack of proven long-range shooting. But the five-man unit undoubtedly passed the eye test, as Okoro's on-ball defense and off-ball activity made a legitimate difference for this inexperienced group.

Does Tiago Splitter Need to Rethink His Starting Unit?

Is it a tad silly to change your starting lineup based on one game? You could certainly say that, but the Chicago Bulls aren't good enough to deem anything "silly."

Arguably no team has looked worse than Chicago over the first few weeks of the season. Heck, it's been a historically awful start! The good news is that this is – partially – expected. Chicago came into the season in full rebuild mode, ready to accept all the challenges that come with it. The bad news is that they still want to establish a sense of identity and develop talent. Much of what we've seen over the first eight games isn't helping accomplish either of those things.

Sunday afternoon, however, was a far better example of what the Bulls want things to look like. Not only did they compete at a high level, but they saw the majority of their core young pieces play a meaningful role in keeping the game close. No, Okoro isn't solely responsible for making that happen, but he seemed to have a notable domino effect.

Okoro already came into the year as the Bulls' top defender. Neither Josh Giddey nor Norman Powell is built to adequately defend an opposing team's top perimeter scoring threat. It's why we've seen Tiago Splitter even try Matas Buzelis in that role at times this year. Having Okoro out there helps take a pretty significant defensive burden off this young group, especially when considering how bad the rim protection has been.

Nevertheless, Okoro's impact offensively might have actually been more important. It didn't feel like a coincidence that Matas Buzelis had his best night of the year with Powell on the sideline. To be clear, that's not an indictment of Powell. He can be an important veteran piece and shotmaker for this team. However, there was one less mouth to feed on Sunday afternoon, which meant more opportunities for Buzelis to be aggressive and step into the role we saw last season.

In general, this offense looked more comfortable picking and choosing their spots with Okoro out there. Even Josh Giddey had more confidence attacking the rim and finished with a season-high 15 assists. Whereas Powell is someone who rightfully deserves the ball in his hands at times, Okoro is someone who focuses far more on doing the dirty work and moving off the ball.

It really does make you wonder what the Chicago Bulls should do from here. Would Powell be comfortable serving as a sparkplug coming off the bench? He could still close out games when a scoring punch is needed. If not Powell, is there any other way to get Okoro in with the starters? You're surely not sitting Giddey, Wilson, or Buzelis.

Again, it's only one game. There is no guarantee that this is how things will continue to look with Okoro in the mix. Plus, the starting five is expected to get another shake-up when Claxton is ramped up. Perhaps having him on the floor will add its own new dimension to a starting group that includes Powell.

At the same time, there is no ignoring how ugly things have been for the Bulls to start the year. When things are going down such a path, you have to weigh all your options. Your move, Tiago!

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