When Luka Doncic found a wide-open Dereck Lively II underneath the basket for the slam with 4:32 left in the first quarter, I let out a defeated sigh.
It didn’t matter how much time was left on the clock. Doncic was locked in and ready to embarrass another inferior team. Sure, he only shot 9-23 on the night, but he still finished with 27 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds for his seventh-straight triple-double.
Do you remember those velcro-like paddles that would come with a colorful tennis game? They were ripped off a million times, so I’m not sure if they have a universal name. But, regardless, Luka Doncic and his big men basically played with those in hand last night. Every time either Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively would roll to the rim, Doncic would send a pass their way that would cling to their mitts. There was nothing the Chicago Bulls could do to break off that seamless connection, and it’s what ultimately led to an ugly 127-92 defeat.
Gafford and Lively combined for 42 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks on a ridiculous 20-21 shooting display. The middle of the floor was open for business from the opening tip-off. To the Chicago Bulls’ credit, they tried to mix up coverages and shut down the Mavs’ easy looks. But, again, Doncic was locked in. The team consistently beat the blitz and crushed switches. As solid as the Bulls’ defense has been in recent weeks, they showed the limitations that the team will also face when Nikola Vucevic is on the floor.
Indeed, the Chicago Bulls’ true weakness might as well be athletic roll men. Vucevic doesn’t have the lateral quickness to make up enough ground, and the Bulls as a whole don’t have big enough wing defenders to rotate and contest shots at the rim. The only good news is that not everyone has as dynamic of a shot creator as Doncic nor as springy of a frontcourt tandem as Gafford and Lively II. Still, it will continue to be an area for opponents to try to exploit until some roster changes are made.
Speaking of Gafford, I miss the heck out of that guy. He proved to be a draft steal almost immediately after the previous front office selected him with the 38th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Were there concerns about his foul trouble and defensive discipline at times? Absolutely. But there was also enough to see how he could become a valuable part of a rotation. Unfortunately, Arturas Karnisovas and Co. opted to move on from him in the deal that brought Troy Brown Jr., Javonte Green, and Daniel Theis to the team.
(Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
I’m not going to sit here and pretend I wasn’t a TBJ believer – because I was – but moving Gafford so young never sat great with me. I understand the Chicago Bulls were going “all-in” and added Nikola Vucevic, so developing Gafford didn’t make much sense. However, let’s not forget he immediately went on to thrive next to Russell Westbrook and help the Wizards sneak into the postseason over Chicago. When we consider Vucevic’s deficiencies, Gafford would’ve made a lot of sense as a second option in hindsight.
For what it’s worth, though, leaving Chicago may have been the best thing to happen to Gafford. He was brutally honest about his work ethic while with the Bulls and how being involved in his first trade changed the course of his career. It was an incredibly thoughtful reflection that you don’t necessarily hear every day:
“I feel like, in all honesty, with where my work ethic is at now, [I] most definitely could’ve been a lot better in just the area when I was here,” Gafford told reporters after his big night against his former team. “I feel like I took a lot of stuff for granted when I was here. I feel like I didn’t get the job done whenever I stepped out on the floor. I felt like I was always fidgety. Felt like I was always not ready, not locked in. So taking that next step once I got traded, it was something that I wanted to get better at for sure
…
“I think it was just me wanting to be the player I wanted to be and not making the steps to be that player. I had to do a lot of re-evaluation, a lot of soul searching, too … I wanted to be way better that what I was playing, and I couldn’t just make that push because I was being lazy for sure.”
Fun Fact: Daniel Gafford has made 28 straight baskets after being perfect from the field over the last four games. This means he’s in line to break the NBA record previously set by Wilt Chamberlain, which is 35 straight made baskets in 1967. His 28-straight is the most since the league started to track play-by-play in the late 90s, per the Mavs.
Wildest stat in the league right now? Mavericks center Daniel Gafford made all nine field goals last night, extending his run of consecutive made shots to 28 — just seven shy of the NBA record. (Wilt made 35 in a row in 1967.)— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) March 12, 2024
You have to feel for Otto Porter. I know fans were left with a bad taste in their mouths after GarPax traded Bobby Portis for the swingman, but Porter was always projected to be a high-level contributor. Injuries just got in the way, however, and he’s now been forced to retire at just 30 years old.
To be clear, though, you don’t necessarily need to feel about any dollars being left on the table. HoopsHype has Porter 13th on the list of highest-earning NBA players who haven’t made an All-Star Game. The former No. 3 overall pick has made an estimated $134,220,040 over his 11 years in the NBA.
In case you missed it, DeMar DeRozan has been getting to the line more than anyone in the past few weeks:
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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