All I ask of the Chicago Bulls is one thing: Can you please not ruin the season as quickly as the Chicago Bears did? Thanks!
While that feels like a pretty simple ask, I’d be lying if I said I’m not extremely concerned about the Bulls’ ability to follow through. After all, we’ve seen this veteran-laden group fail to rise to the occasion time and again. At least the Bears are young! Let’s also not forget that Chicago’s first 25 games are anything but a cakewalk. Whether it be playing Shai Gilgeous-Alexandar to open the season, playing two back-to-back sets against Miami, or flying out West to play the defending champs, the first 25 games will feature plenty of tests.
I’m going to be watching the Bulls’ offense under the microscope once the season tips off. They finished 24th in offensive rating last season despite having Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic as their three top players. In no world is that acceptable. Not only will I be crossing my fingers for more 3-pointers, but I’ll be watching closely for more consistent off-ball movement. Whether it be the shooting ability of Jevon Carter, Torrey Craig, and Coby White or the cutting ability of guys like Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams, the Bulls have a very well-rounded group of athletes in their rotation. Quick ball movement should be the recipe for success.
The only concern, obviously, is the Bulls still don’t have that traditional point guard in the halfcourt. So who can we expect to be the primary facilitator? Well, Forbes contributor Morten Stig Jensen wrote a good piece advocating for fewer shots and more assists for DeMar DeRozan. We also talked about this in a recent edition of Morning Bullets. DeRozan basically played point guard during his time in San Antonio, and there is no better time than now for him to draw back on that experience. He averaged nearly 7.0 assists during the 2020-21 season and actually had the 6th-best AST/TOV ratio among players who appeared in at least 60 games, per NBA Stats.
I also think Nikola Vucevic could see a slight uptick in his use as a facilitator. I’ve mentioned this a lot, but I’ll continue to do so when talking about the Bulls’ passing problems! Vucevic is one of the best quick decision-makers in the NBA. Not only does he have a great vision to find the open man off the pick-and-roll, but he does a nice job drawing the help in the post before kicking it back out. Overall, he is pretty underrated when it comes to his ability to create for others, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Billy Donovan tap into that even more.
Still thinking about this pass from Nikola Vucevic last night.
He did a really nice job directing traffic on some possessions. His passing and overall court vision remains pretty underrated.
Bulls Legend Jimmer Fredette recently spoke with NBC Sports about his time hopping around the NBA. When asked about his very brief time in Chicago (where he appeared in just 8 games), the sharpshooter called it “electric” and praised Bulls fans. You can read his full thoughts here. Also, I just realized the dude is 34 years old. Yeesh, I feel old.
It’s insane how easy Scottie and MJ could make stuff like this look …
The Chicago’s Sky season came to an end on Sunday afternoon after the No. 1-seeded Las Vegas Aces claimed the best-of-three series. When we take into account the roster turnover this group had, I consider a playoff appearance a small victory. But the fact of the matter is there remains a lot of work to do to build this group back up to a championship level. While Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey make for a solid foundation, they need some more firepower in that starting lineup. Not to mention, they need to decide who will permanently fill the void that former head coach James Wade left behind.
Now that their season is over, the Sky must focus on filling their coach and general manager positions. https://t.co/FOrEMF2fmp
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