NEWSLETTER
Seeing NBA highlights across my social media timeline again feels like putting on a sweater right after it comes out of the dryer – so damn good.
• Bulls fans far and wide would probably agree that, if forced to pick, the team has more potential on the offensive side of the ball. I would agree with that assessment. I trust the Bulls backcourt defense as much as I trust Pinocchio’s cousin Petenocchio (the one who never learned his lesson … and, yes, I made that up). Coby White has the makings of an average defender, but he isn’t yet a reliable presence on that end of the floor. Likewise, Zach LaVine has shown flashes of strong defensive effort, but I doubt he will ever be viewed as an above-average team defender. The absence of guys like Kris Dunn and Shaquille Harrison has already been felt in the preseason, as a rejuvenated John Wall tore up the Bulls on Friday and Sunday. However, with all of that said, I wonder how much more confident we really should be in Chicago’s offense.
• In both preseason matchups, color commentator Stacey King has said something along the lines of, “I’m not worried about this team scoring the basketball.” I’ve seen a couple of other folks reiterate this point as the season looms. For the time being, I’m not necessarily that worried either, but I do think we are in no position to feel “comfortable.” We still have yet to see a number of the Bulls young, offensive-minded players score at a consistent rate. Zach LaVine has been the only reliable offensive threat over the past couple of years, but that’s also come inside one of the worst offenses in the NBA. In 2019-20, the Bulls had the 27th offensive rating in the league. In 2018-19, they had the 29th (FWIW: the last time they finished in the top-15 was 2014-15). The team also shot the 10th-most wide-open 3’s last season, per NBA.com, but finished with the 7th-worst 3-point percentage in the league. Blame the system all you want – and I have – but those are still not encouraging numbers. The point is, we can hope to be comfortable with this team’s ability to score the basketball soon, but we shouldn’t be yet. I’ve been the first to admit how much I believe a head coach like Billy Donovan can change things, but I’m also not ready to suddenly believe these players can take the necessary step forward to run a much-improved offense.
• According to the Chicago Bulls Twitter account, the group leaves for their final two preseason games in Oklahoma City today. The departure comes one day after Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported that Bulls preseason roster member Noah Vonleh tested positive for COVID-19. We have not gotten any word on the other players who were given an excused absence from Friday night’s game (Tomas Satoransky, Devon Dotson, and Luke Kornet), so we’ll have to keep a close eye on whether or not they make the trip to OKC. If the rest of the team is set to leave, however, the organization must be confident the majority of the team is COVID free. Let’s hope so.
• Guess who is getting disrespected again? A couple of weeks after ESPN released their controversial Top-100 rankings, Sports Illustrated has followed suit. And if you think Zach LaVine’s 56th-overall placement in ESPN’s list was an abomination, get prepared to drop-kick whatever is in sight. Sports Illustrated listed LaVine as the 75th best player in basketball. Who are some of the names ahead of him? Take a look: OG Anunoby (73), JJ Redick (71), PJ Tucker (70), Clint Capela (69 … nice), Eric Bledsoe (67) – I’m just going to stop there. Rather than go on another long rant about why this is ridiculous, I’m going to sit back and let LaVine does the talking/walking. Hopefully, a season under a competent head coach with increased success can earn him the respect he deserves.
One of the best scorers in the game pic.twitter.com/Bq84Se882a
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) December 14, 2020
• Good read from Rob over at NBC Sports Chicago. I got to say, White’s half-court game has taken a step in the right direction. I was very impressed with the way he used his ball handling to patiently wait for the roll man. Opposing defenses already have to respect his scoring ability, which means he should be able to lure defenders away pretty consistently. Then, it’s all about making the clean pass. Can’t wait to see more.
Wrote a bit on the pick-and-roll playmaking flashes Coby White showed last night.
"I still got a long way to go. But tonight was a positive night for me…"https://t.co/VQ9o8gCg63
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) December 14, 2020
• In other news, don’t expect Carter Jr. to stop taking shots any time soon.
Billy Donovan Is All-Aboard the Wendell Carter Jr. Hype Trainhttps://t.co/JgV9Fw6c81
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 14, 2020
• Some fun dunks to cure the “It’s Only Tuesday!?” blues:
Ja really makes it look too easy.
That was tough. pic.twitter.com/AP2Sl8i2px
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/HoHighlights/status/1338690063237066757?s=20
