NEWSLETTER
My dog has this toy with an abundance of little treat pockets. When I give her that toy, she runs into the living room, plops her butt down, and goes to work. Nothing about the process is fast. It takes a mix of licking, prying, and chomping to eventually be rewarded with the sweet relief of an oaty, appley, flax-seedy snack that surely doesn’t taste that good. And, once she gets one, she moves on to the next pocket with the same determined demeanor.
As far as I’m concerned, this was the Chicago Bulls’ offense with DeMar DeRozan. There was a slow, methodical process that needed to be followed for any sort of reward. Let’s now pretend I took one of my dog’s favorite treats, tied it to the back of an RC car, and began zooming it around my apartment. What would unfold next is probably far more reminiscent of the Chicago Bulls’ current offense. Things would be chaotic, fun, and WAY less efficient.
I’m not trying to say the Bulls’ recent offensive strategy is worse, to be clear. The mere point is that how they’re playing now is almost the exact opposite of how they played in the past. Before they were operating under one of the most disciplined halfcourt scorers in the game, hoping to capitalize on every possession. Now, they’re trying to run opponents out of the gym and jump from one possession to the next. And it’s been quite the visual shock through the first week of the season.
The Chicago Bulls’ New-Look Offense
To put this further into perspective, the Bulls ranked 28th in PACE during the 2023-24 season (PACE measures the number of possessions per 48 minutes). They sat only 18th the year before that. Over the first three games to begin this campaign, the Bulls hold the single-highest PACE in the league. And it’s roughly five possessions higher than the second-place Memphis Grizzlies!
Directly tied to this new philosophy has been the emphasis on shooting more threes. We heard head coach Billy Donovan and front office leader Arturas Karnisovas stress the importance of this during the offseason, and it’s undoubtedly come to fruition to begin the year. After ranking 26th or worse in 3PAs per game over the past three seasons, the Bulls are shooting the third-most in the NBA through their first three contests.
This included a 53-attempt performance against OKC, which marked the single-most threes taken in a game in franchise history. Relatedly, the 134 threes shot over the first three games of this season marks the most by any Bulls team over any three-game span in franchise history.
All things considered, it finally feels like the Bulls understand the importance of embracing a space-and-pace brand of basketball. The organization has been trying to swim against the current over the past several years, and this rarely works in the NBA. If they hope to set the organization up for more sustained success and develop their young talent in earnest, doing a 180 with their offensive identity is essential.
With that said, as optimistic as we should be about their change in style, the Bulls aren’t about to look like a whole new team in the win-loss column. Playing this way comes with its own significant hurdles, particularly for such a young group. We’ve already seen turnovers become a major issue, as the Bulls have at least 21 in two of their first three games. Coby White even admitted after the team’s 26 cough-ups against OKC that they were playing too fast at times.
The Bulls have also already learned the hard way about three-point variance. The night after going 21-47 against the Milwaukee Bucks in a shocking blowout win, they went 15-53 against the Thunder in a blowout loss. This group still must learn how to adjust when their shot isn’t falling, as well as recognize when it’s ok to take their foot off the gas. This will take time … a lot of time.
Make no mistake, though, the Bulls do not plan to abandon this new identity any time soon. Arturas Karnisovas appeared on 670 The Score ahead of Saturday night’s home opener, and he made clear that the Bulls are committed to making a change:
โThe style of play that weโre trying to play now is how we want to play moving forward,” Karnisovas said. “Regardless of turnovers, weโre going to continue playing this style until guys feel very comfortable playing.”
If Karnisovas is this dedicated to rebranding the offense, it makes me feel that much better about him embracing the other changes that still need to be made. I know it sounds silly to be saying that only three games into the season, but I’ll take whatever silver lining I can get with this franchise. Out with the old and in with the new!
