The Chicago Bulls will face the Mavericks, Pacers, Clippers, and Wizards this week. Three of those battles will be at the United Center, while the other will be a quick trip to Indianapolis.
After last week’s solid performance, I wouldn’t be stunned if the Bulls pulled off another 3-1 week. At the same time, I also wouldn’t be surprised if they fell back down to earth with a 1-3 stretch. If we’ve learned anything about the Bulls this year, it’s that their most consistent trait is being inconsistent.
The Bulls might be catching the Dallas Mavericks at the right time. Luka Doncic and Co. are 5-5 over their last time games and have struggled in a couple of key areas. Most notably, the team’s defense has been particularly atrocious. While they’ve ranked bottom 10 all season long, they’ve sat second-to-last over this 10-game stretch. The Detroit Pistons just scored 124 points against this squad, and teams overall have shot nearly 40.0 percent from downtown during this period. With Doncic and Kyrie Irving stationed in the backcourt, there isn’t a lot of perimeter pressure for teams with talented guards. Can Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu take advantage tonight?
Relatedly, the Mavericks aren’t getting back in transition. They allow the fourth-most fastbreak points per game. The Clippers have also had trouble hustling back on defense this season, and we did see the Bulls exploit that a bit in the first half. Unfortunately, however, Chicago hasn’t necessarily proven to be the same transition team with Zach LaVine off the court. Both White and Dosunmu are capable of causing problems on the open floor, but the Bulls have only averaged the third-fewest fastbreak points per game. Still, if the Bulls want to win, this has likely got to be an area they control tonight.
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
The other area we should keep an eye on is the rebounding department. Dallas has a 28th-ranked REB% and was just outrebounded by 20 in their matchup with the Pistons. It’s not necessarily that they don’t have some active rebounders in their rotation, but their size disparity can be a bit of a problem at times. Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond should both be able to manage the glass when they’re on the floor, and the Bulls will need to find a way to capitalize on this size advantage with some second-chance points.
The Mavericks may not be playing a whole lot better than the Chicago Bulls as of late, but let’s not kid ourselves – they are the better basketball team. Doncic will be the best player on the floor later this evening, averaging 34.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 9.8 assists. Thanks to his heroic efforts, the Mavericks have the 6th-highest offensive rating in the NBA this season and the 7th-highest EFG%. They can kill you with their highly efficient scoring and relentless 3-point shooting. If the Bulls want to win, it’ll likely have to be in a shootout.
So what did we learn from this recent 3-1 road trip? Well, the Bulls are ridiculously resilient. No matter how each game flowed, this group found a way to hang around and outlast their opponent. While DeMar DeRozan was obviously a crucial part of that, we’ve seen some pretty encouraging team efforts dating back to the Cleveland game. This isn’t to say that “continuity” is a success, but I do think we’re seeing some of the benefits. The Bulls simply look like a group that knows how to play with and FOR each other. Again, that doesn’t mean this group is the one to continue building around, but this should be good for the young players’ development.
“I don’t even remember the first month of the season. I can’t even lie to you. I could sit down and remember it. But, at this moment, I don’t really remember the first month of the season. But I know now, we have been more together I would say. In terms of not letting one bad play linger over … You know in Golden State we’re down 10 earlier, we’re done 12 early, it’s easy to just say ‘we 2-0 on the road trip let’s lay down.’ But we fought back,” Dosunmu said.
If we’re being honest, we shouldn’t want anyone to remember the beginning of the season. If the Bulls dwell on the past, they aren’t concentrated enough on the present. I’m sure everyone in that locker room knew the hole they dug themselves into back in October and November, and their job is to stay focused on digging themselves out. I think they’ve done a decently good job of that. Sure, this team still has a ceiling that isn’t at all high enough, but that isn’t the players’ fault. I give them a lot of credit for staying motivated during a year that otherwise feels pretty lost.
I know we’ve said it a million times before, but any animosity I have toward this team doesn’t stem from the players. These are all likable guys who seemingly work very hard. The roster construction needs to be better. The direction of the franchise needs to be better. But it’s become hard to ask much more from this group in terms of effort night in and night out.
By the way, this is a dope recap of the last four games. Shoutout BullsTV for always producing awesome stuff.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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