After the Jimmy Butler trade, the Bulls have toiled at the bottom of the NBA. They struggled on every level from the front office, coaching, and the roster. Now, a new front office led by Arturas Karnisovas has made a push to get out of the bottom of the east.
All signs point to another leap in improvement under Billy Donovan. He’s been able to coach up the defense, and despite the perception of the Bulls as a poor defensive team, they were 11th in defensive ratinglast season. In addition, Zach Lavine has steadily improved not only his scoring, but his overall game. Bringing in more veteran talent like Nikola Vuecivic and DeMar DeRozan will take the load off, Lavine and allow him to tap into some more off-ball actions. In addition, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso will gel the team together with their unselfishness and team defense.
Lavine’s Improvement
Every season Lavine has been on the Bulls, he’s gotten better in so many areas. In his first season with Chicago (2017-2018), he averaged 16.7 points, and that total has jumped to 27.4 points per game this past year. The jump from a sub-20 and even mid-20 points per game average to 27 points per game is substantial. He’s become less reliant on athleticism and has more crafty tools to create separation. He’s been forced to heavily develop his game because of the lack of surrounding talent. Now put him around a floor-spacing and passing hub five in Vuecivic and a downhill creator in Derozen, and defenses are going to have issues guarding the Bulls.
Defense
Typically, players that carry the majority of the offensive burden give less effort on defense. It’s impossible over a long season to be a consistent two-way player with the level of creation the Bulls task Lavine with. However, with other players who can generate offense, Lavine will have more energy and attentiveness on defense.
There’s something about playing with other talented players that elevates your play. It’s a confidence that the other guys you are playing with work hard and know how to play the game, which helps motivate you do the small things on the court like hustle for a rotation or lock in on-ball. Lavine has already improved individually on defense. He was especially more attentive last season when the Bulls were a more competitive team.
By no means the Bulls are going to be a lockdown team, but they do have the capability to be solid in that end if Lavine can buy in.
Playmaking
People have criticzed Lavine’s lack of playmaking. Last season, he showed a better awareness on the offensive end and used his scoring gravity to hit cutters and weakside players. The reads will only get easier with the amount of offensive talent on the floor for the Bulls. Their most likely starting lineup will be Ball, Lavine, Derozen, Patrick Williams, and Vuecivic. That’s four other talented offensive players that can also shoot, pass, and make reads.
Olympic experience
This year might be Lavine’s most significant jump yet in terms of contributing to winning. DeRozan had a great point on the Bulls’ Talk Podcasr about playing in the Olympics and how it’s beneficial to younger guys like Lavine.
“Just being around the greatest players in the world, the greatest minds, the greatest coaches, it does something unconsciously to you that gives you the ultimate confidence, the ultimate work ethic, makes you realize that you belong in the elite category of guys,” DeRozan said. “And that carries over to the season. You see you’re next to a Kevin Durant every single day, a Damian Lillard every single day. You’re amongst these guys every single day. You see their work ethic, the way they approach the game, the winning mentality that they have and what it feels like to win. And something like that carries over whether you realize it or not. It goes a long way.”
By all accounts, Lavine is already a hard worker. It’s evident in his game that he came in mainly as an athlete and has developed into a polished scorer. He also made a remarkable recovery from his ACL injury earlier in his career.
In terms of on-court performance, Lavine had to adjust to not being the main guy. Kevin Durant was the guy the team turned to when they needed a bucket. To get on the court, he had to simplify the game by relocating off-ball to get shots and cutting. There was an expectation for him to defend at a high level . All of that stuff on the margins is what is going to take him to the next level.
The defense can be better than expected.
In all of Billy Donovan’s years in Oklahoma City (2015-2020), they were a top ten defense every year. They did have some defensive personnel like Steven Adams, Paul George, and Andre Roberson, but the other guys on the roster weren’t defensive stalwarts. He can coach up defense despite a lack of personnel. Even this season, the Bulls were 11th in defensive rating.
Donovan-led teams have a more conservative defensive style that involves playing drop coverage and occasionally on the screen level on side pick and rolls. Keeping it simple is going to be key for the Bulls.
Bringing in team defense-type players like Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso will help with rotations as well. They also have a long team. In their starting lineup, Lavine is probably the shortest at 6’5, but he’s super quick. As a result, there is potential for the Bulls to be an above-average defense.
The only issue is on-ball defense. Patrick Williams is going to have to check the elite wing scorers, but he’s a bit inexperienced. However, he has the tools to be a great defender along the lines of O.G Anunoby because of his wingspan and strength. Throughout the season, it’s possible he can develop in that area.
DeRozen is the main guy the team should worry about. Replacing Thad Young with DeRozen is a downgrade in terms of effort and size. However, he’s done better defensively at the four where he can match guys’ strength instead of chasing players over screens. DeRozan will likely play more of the four on defense while Williams picks up the better scorer. But, again, it’s more of a matter of effort. Like the dynamic Lavine could experience with this Bulls roster, Derozen might have more defensive buy-in with this new team.
The infusion of talent
Lonzo Ball
Ball has become a knockdown shooter during his time with the Pelicans. Teams have to buy the shot and respect him as a shooter. He has a tremendous feel for the game on both ends of the court. In transition, he can push the pace and make the right decisions. In the halfcourt, he can make the extra pass and has excellent creativity. He’s going to replace some of the passing ingenuity Thaddeus Young brought. Things like cutting to the middle of the court and quickly skipping it to the weakside are going to be huge.
Defensively, he will have to do a little more on-ball, and he has the length to bother ball handlers. However, he’s best in help where he can read possessions and bait certain passes for steals. He’s a great complimentary piece to Lavine in that he can take tougher defensive assignments and distribute the ball in the halfcourt and transition.
DeMar DeRozan
Expect Derozen to be a different type of player with Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, he was intrigued by “what the team was building,” and will come in with more effort, specifically on the defensive end. Additionally, he’s had a relationship with general manager Marc Eversley, who drafted Derozen in Toronto.
He’s had a reputation for being a midrange shooter in the past, but he’s moved away from that part of the game. He doesn’t pound the ball to settle for a contested midrange shot. Instead, DeRozen gets to the rim more often and has tons of craft and enough athleticism left to finish around the basket. His passing has also improved a ton. When the defense is locked onto him, he’ll zip it to a player on the weak side. He had a 5.3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio last season.
The one knock on Derozen is his reluctance to shoot threes. It’s not a lack of skill that is causing this. He’s shown in past stops he can shoot threes at a decent percentage. It could be that he feels it’s not the best shot for him. Last season however, Derozen would take threes in the flow of the offense. He’s going to get a lot more of these looks with the Bulls.
He’s another legitimate creator besides Lavine that can carry the load some nights scoring-wise. His ability to convert his scoring ability to passing opportunities will create opportunities for other players.
Nikola Vucevic
Although Vucivic was acquired midseason, this upcoming year will be his first fully integrated with the Bulls. He’s one of the best centers in the NBA with his ability to shoot the three, score from the post and in short roll situations, and pass. Think of him almost as an Al Horford type. He might be a tertiary option on offense but expect the Bulls to use his passing abilities from the top of the key and elbows to open up opportunities for cutters.
Vucivic isn’t a great defender by any means. However, he’s solid in drop coverage after years of playing in that system. He is decent at containing ball handlers as well. He will be a crucial piece to the Bulls as a guy who will keep the team steady on both ends. At this point in his career, he’s likely looking for an opportunity to win, even if that means taking a smaller role.
Role Players
Alex Caruso will provide strong team defense, but he will also be able to pick up some challenging guard assignments. He has a nose for the ball and doesn’t make many mistakes. In addition, Caruso has tons of playoff experience under his belt after his time with the Lakers. He’s a great piece to have for any playoff team.
Tony Bradley is a better defensive option at the five. Unfortunately, he’s flown under the radar a bit in his past stops in Utah, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
In the end, the Bulls’ improvement is going to have to start with Lavine. All signs from his consistent improvement year to year to his Olympic experience, along with his work ethic, bode well for Lavine. From there, all the pieces will fall in line, and the Bulls have a talented and deep team.
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