The role of Nate Robinson on the Chicago Bulls is already becoming clear to Tom Thibodeau.

“Just bring energy,” Robinson said of what he wants to accomplish this preseason. “The scoring will come. I just want to be the best teammate that I can and make sure that I pick our starters up if they’re down or not playing as well.”

Thibodeau wants Robinson to be an important component of their bench.

“The big thing for them is to strive for improvement,” Thibodeau said. “They’ve scrimmaged a lot against the starters in practice, and there have been times in which they’ve played extremely well.”