In Monday morning’s bullets/notes, we briefly discussed the Chicago Bulls’ need for more offensive creativity. More specifically, we focused on their need for more consistent off-ball movement and 3-point shooting. I also mentioned both DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic as the two players who can help promote a more versatile offensive attack through their ability to facilitate. Fast forward to this morning, and I saw that Will Gottlieb of CHGO drew up two basic actions where these two can help spice things up.
His first idea revolved around a greater use of the Spain PnR. For those who don’t know how this works, I highly encourage you to watch his short video below. In short, you have one player set a screen on the ball while another sets a back screen for the original screener. This would open up a cutting lane to the basket for a potential lob or allow the person setting the back screen to slip out behind the ace for a catch-and-shoot look. All things considered, the Bulls should have the personnel to easily make this work. And this perfectly represents the kind of more calculated approach we need to see Chicago take on the offensive end.
Rather than complaining about stagnant offense, I wanted to suggest a few actions that I think the Bulls can incorporate to get more movement, maximize skill sets and generate easier half court points
Gottlieb also mentioned a split action. You can watch that short video here. Again, this is a pretty straightforward play to implement, particularly with the kind of athletes the Bulls have on the roster. The success of it largely depends on the aggressiveness and screening of the perimeter players. Can the Bulls buy in?
Overall, the Bulls entered last season seemingly wanting “randomness” to dictate their offense. While this felt great in theory, we watched as the group fell back into their stagnant ways pretty darn quickly. If the idea is to be more active off the ball and have an uptempo attack, then head coach Billy Donovan has to do more to encourage that style of play. Again, screening off the ball and running these plays that immediately provide more than one option can be a great way to accomplish just that.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley picked one player from every team who could surprise us this season. Ayo Dosunmu got the nod for the Chicago Bulls. I’d say it’s a decent pick considering Dosunmu could start the season as the 10th man in the rotation. If he is able to carve himself out as large of a role as we’ve seen the past two years, that would be somewhat surprising. At the same time, he is very familiar with playing alongside the Big 3. I also think that he is one of the team’s best weapons in transition, and I’m assuming the Bulls hope to be running in the fastbreak a lot this year. So, yeah, I guess that’s why I call it “somewhat surprising.” Is there a clear path toward consistent minutes for Dosumu right now? No. But could there be the second something goes awry or the second Donovan wants to try something new? Yup.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that former Charlotte Hornets wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to stay in the Eastern Conference and sign a one-year deal with Philly. Look, Oubre can be a very frustrating and inefficient player, but he has averaged 17.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game over the past four seasons. Adding him as wing depth on a cheap deal would be a small win for the 76ers. He’ll give you some big-scoring nights, which they may need in the absence of James Harden.
This is the kind of self-reflection you want to see from a player. Shoutout to Marina Mabrey!
Marina Mabrey just wrapped up a very candid exit interview, which gave a lot of insight into a long checklist of improvements she hopes to make ahead of her second year with the Chicago Sky.
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