MILWAUKEE — Guard Jevon Carter only spent a few seasons with the Bucks, but it was still a homecoming of sorts for him.
Carter saw whom he wanted to see, gave a few hugs in the hallway but also put it all in perspective in his preseason debut with the Bulls.
“Business is the business,’’ Carter said.
Despite the 105-102 loss to the Bucks on Sunday, business was good.
One of the Bulls’ two major offseason additions along with Torrey Craig, Carter came off the bench with a defensive-minded second unit. He played off the ball and also ran the point.
Carter went 3-for-7 from the field, made a three-pointer and had two rebounds and two assists.
“It’s a team game, so the attitude this season is, if you win, we all shine,’’ Carter said. “So my biggest thing is just to win, and the rest will take care of itself.’’
That “rest’’ he was talking about is a certain starting point-guard spot that’s up for grabs.
Coby White and Carter are in the running for it, while Ayo Dosunmu is more of a dark horse. The competition started in training camp last week and likely will continue through a good portion of the preseason.
This game didn’t settle much.
White was given the starting nod and looked comfortable running the show with the veteran group. He scored 14 points, going 6-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-5 from three-point range, and had six rebounds and six assists.
White’s scoring was nice to see, but his decision-making was even better, showcasing all the work he has put in and the amount of film he has watched.
Dosunmu chipped in eight points.
So was coach Billy Donovan closer to putting the point-guard puzzle together? Not even close, and don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
“I know [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] spoke about the competition at that position, and I think that just being around Jevon a short period of time and knowing Coby, knowing Ayo, all three of those guys are really competitive, but first and foremost they’re about the team,’’ Donovan said.
‘‘I think ego-wise, any player wants to start, like everyone does. But what they’re willing to do is what’s best for the team. So to say, ‘Hey, listen, this guy really separated himself.’ I don’t think that happened.’’
Carter didn’t seem too concerned about it either way. He even has been a key mentor for the two players he’s competing against.
“Their intensity [is what I like],’’ Carter said.
“They bring it every day, no days off. I love that about them. Communication and just holding each other accountable.’’
White had no problem accepting the compliment.
Heading into free agency in July, White became a re-signing priority for the Bulls because of Lonzo Ball’s injury issues but also because of the steps management saw him taking to get better.
“I played well,’’ White said. “Gotta try to push the pace a little bit, gotta get organized more coming down the floor on made baskets, but other than that, I felt like offensively as a whole, we all played well. We all tried to do the right things, tried to play to our identity, moving the ball.
“We got a bunch of open looks, bunch of open shots getting to the paint and making the right plays. They didn’t fall, but this is what the preseason is for.’’
