The Chicago Bulls’ Schedule Could Provide a Bounceback (and Other Bulls Bullets)

If the Chicago Bulls allowed Devin Booker to drop 50+ points to improve the Phoenix Suns’ home record to 12-1, let’s just say I’m terrified about what Steph Curry can do for a Warriors team that is 9-1 at the Chase Center.

*adds some Baileys to morning coffee*

  • It’s been pretty much thunderstorms and rain clouds in the Chicago Bulls universe as of late, but we do still have some reasons for optimism. Not only is it hard to imagine Zach LaVine playing much worse than he is right now, but the schedule is also about to lighten up significantly. While an always-scary Warriors team and flashy offensive Kings team wait in the wings, the Bulls’ strength of schedule has plummeted into the league’s bottom 10. This comes after starting the year with, by far, one of the toughest slates.
  • According to Positive Residual, the Bulls have held the third-toughest SOS up until this point. They will now face the 7th-easiest remaining schedule over their final 61 games. Now, I know losses to the Magic and OKC don’t inspire much confidence in terms of what the Bulls can do with this opportunity. But perhaps they’ll finally begin to take care of business as they exert less energy against some of the NBA’s better teams.
  • Let’s just remember, as bad as this 9-12 record has felt, the Bulls remain just 2.5 games back of the No. 5 seed in the East. Some teams might begin to pull away soon, but there is still an opportunity for Chicago to quickly gain a lot of ground.
  • The Bulls’ entire defense rests on the shoulders of Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso.
  • I think we need to keep this in mind when we’re talking about Patrick Williams’ development. I’m not going to deny that it’s been slow and underwhelming, but he’s also continuously been asked to carry a lot of weight on the defensive end. Every game he’s trying to guard one of the better players in the NBA, which can surely impact how aggressive he’s going to be on offense. I’m not at all letting him off the hook for his no-show performances the last two games, but it’s some context worth noting.
  • Considering the offensive talent on this team, the Bulls should be a wayyyyyy better jump-shooting team.
  • The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry thinks it’s time to give Dalen Terry some minutes, and I can’t disagree.
  • At the end of the day, things haven’t looked great for the Bulls. Sure, the schedule might be part of that, but this current rotation has struggled to produce at a consistent and balanced level. It’s hard not to think that some kind of shake-up isn’t worth a try. Maybe that’s starting Javonte Green. Maybe it’s giving Drummond more minutes. Maybe it’s putting an energetic youngster like Terry into the second unit. I don’t know exactly what the recipe for success is – that’s Billy Donovan’s job to figure out – but I do know trying something new is worth a shot.
  • Let Ayo have a cooking show.
  • If his injury can’t get worse, go for it.
  • Did somebody say brutal November!?
  • written by

    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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