NEWSLETTER
Waking up after a W >>>>>
• A win over the 20-36 Cleveland Cavaliers may not feel like anything special, but we’re also in no place to demean a victory. With or without LaVine on the floor, the team has not only lacked in execution but even more in effort. Last night, they finally broke free of that five-game losing streak downward spiral, shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, and winning the turnover battle by a slim margin of 11-10. They looked ready to play from the opening tip and kept a high energy level for a full 48 minutes. Not much changed for this team schematically, they simply played with a sense of urgency on both ends of the floor and finally got some much-needed help from their supporting cast members.
• Patrick Williams broke into the double-digit club for the first time in seven games. No, the performance wasn’t jaw-dropping, but he shot an efficient 5-6 from the floor with four of those attempts coming at the rim. The rookie took advantage of screens for an aggressive drive to the hoop several times. He put a great hesitation move on Collin Sexton before rolling it off his fingertips over Jarrett Allen, he euro-stepped both Darius Garland and Kevin Love into Indiana, and he flew right past Taurean Prince for the easy and-one bucket. It was the type of performance that only reaffirmed Bulls fans’ eagerness to see him play a larger offensive role.
• While I sure wouldn’t mind if Williams made a stronger effort to get his shot attempts, I also think it should be way more on his teammates and coaching staff to get him involved. As a 19-year-old playing alongside a guy like Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucevic, there is going to be a natural response to differ, but the results speak for themselves …
The Bulls are 15-12 when Williams scored 10 points or more. 6-21 when he doesn't. https://t.co/OqQjBfdLuI
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) April 18, 2021
• Williams talked touched on his offensive role after last night’s win, telling reporters that picking his spots more often is something he’s been trying to improve on all season long:
“The guys, my teammates, and also the coaches, have been challenging me to be more aggressive. They been challenging me to do that pretty much the whole season. It’s no secret that’s an area I need to improve in, but I think I’ve done that throughout the course of the season. Like I said, it’s not always been pretty, it’s not always easy to do, but I think I’ve taken steps forward in that area.”
• Williams’ contributions were wanted. Lauri Markkanen’s contributions? Well, those were necessary. The big man snapped a career-long single-digit scoring streak (5 games) with a very helpful 16 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. He scored 10 of his points in the second half and proved valuable enough to close out the game for the first time in a long time. Markkanen even hit arguably the biggest shot of the game, which came at the 2:30 mark in the 4th quarter right after the Cavs were able to cut the Bulls’ lead to just 3 points.
• What we’re all left wondering now is whether or not Markkanen can keep this up. Not only do the Bulls need his scoring chops with LaVine indefinitely removed from the lineup, but Markkanen needs a strong close to the season to salvage some of the money he’s likely lost. His contract season was going according to plan at the beginning of the year, but things turned pretty sour in March. An extended single-digit stretch and a demotion to the bench isn’t going to be out of sight out of mind at the negotiating table this offseason.
• *clears throat* RESIGN DANIEL THEIS!!!!
GO GET IT THEIS!@NBCSChicago | @dtheis10 pic.twitter.com/32CKg6W5AB
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 18, 2021
• The big man has provided nothing but consistency and hustle since his move to Chicago. Either as a backup or in the starting lineup, Theis has been a great pairing with Nikola Vucevic. He is versatile enough to fill some of Vooch’s offensive role when coming off the bench and defensively gifted enough to help make up for Vooch’s lack of rim protection. On a broader note, however, he simply gives this team the physical presence they’ve lacked for years. The Bulls have plenty of pressing moves they need to make this offseason (POINT GUARD), but I sure hope trying to sign Theis long-term is somewhere on the list. What’s that, Billy? It is!?
“There is no question myself, Arturas, and Marc really like him as a player, so I would think that our hope would be that would be a long-term possibility,” Donovan told reporters before last night’s game. “But with free agency coming up and guys having the opportunity to make their own decisions, I understand that. But he is someone we really like a lot and feel like could be somebody that’s really good for us going forward.”
• FWIW: Donovan wasn’t going to say whatever the opposite of this comment would be when reporters asked about Theis’ future. And, again, considering the other things the Bulls need to fix with their recently-weakened cap flexibility, this isn’t going to be easy. There is a way to make it happen, but it feels pretty 50/50 right now.
• Me love Vooch.
VOOCH. ON BOTH ENDS. pic.twitter.com/K2cBMuoOqi
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) April 18, 2021
