At one point the Chicago Bulls were a challenge even for the best defenses in the NBA, entering the All-Star break with the fourth-ranked offense in the league buoyed by efficient 3-point shooting and the playmaking of DeMar DeRozan.
But that firepower has dwindled in recent weeks. Since the All-Stars returned from Cleveland in February, the Bulls offense has been the 25th in the league — a stumble in ranking and confidence — entering Saturday night’s game against the Cavaliers. The Bulls scored only 109.2 points per game in that span, falling behind high-powered Eastern Conference competitors such as the Boston Celtics (122.2) and Milwaukee Bucks (121.3).
So what’s behind the sudden change? Injuries played a part, but the Bulls’ dwindling scoring rate lies at the heart of their recent downturn. Here are the main causes of the drop.
Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball have been affected by injuries
Let’s get the most obvious out of the way — injuries permanently disrupted the promise of this Bulls season. That’s clear.
Ball currently is barred from running in his recovery from meniscus surgery in his left knee, leaving the Bulls to choose between a rookie or a defensive specialist to run point on their offense. LaVine struggled to perform to his typical level for weeks as he combats a lingering left knee issue.
But the Bulls aren’t the only team in the league dealing with injuries, especially this season. The Phoenix Suns, for instance, held on to the top spot in the Western Conference for weeks without star playmaker Chris Paul. For the Bulls, injury adjustments have come less smoothly, leading to the sudden drop to fifth in the East.
DeMar DeRozan is a defensive target
The problem with being too good for too long is that other teams will take note.
After months of leading the Bulls in scoring, the top defenses in the league are ruthlessly keying in on DeRozan. This comes in plenty of forms — double teams in the midrange, traps that swallow DeRozan the moment he picks up the ball in a pick-and-roll or crosses the half-court line.
DeRozan isn’t playing bad basketball by any means, but he couldn’t sustain his herculean performances from before the All-Star break forever. He notched only one 30-point game in his last 11 games — a 36-point performance in a road win against the Detroit Pistons — after going on a 10-game streak of scoring at least 30 points.
DeRozan said the season hasn’t worn on him physically or mentally. But the forward also had to sit out Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans because of a groin strain that coach Billy Donovan said DeRozan was carrying for at least a week.
Defenses can’t double up DeRozan without leaving someone else open, and his drop in scoring has been paired with consistent assist rates as he helps teammates take advantage of those mismatches.
But it hasn’t been enough to keep the offense on pace. Regardless of what form DeRozan is in for the postseason, the Bulls need to find ways to alleviate the pressure on him.
Defensive pressure limits transition offense
The Bulls have been 24th in defense during the 13-game stretch entering Saturday. Some of their perimeter sharpness returned with Alex Caruso, who creates an immediate problem for guards with his handsy defending. But even with Caruso, the Bulls have struggled to control the pace and ball movement of opposing guards.
Although the Bulls are still creating at a high level through their defense — scoring 16.2% of their points off turnovers through the last 14 games, the third-highest rate in the league — they’re also giving up points in key defensive moments through fouling and allowing offensive rebounds. The Bulls are ranked in the top 10 in giving up second-chance points (eighth at 14.9 per game) and points in the paint (sixth at 51.7per game).
“If we take the ball out of the net, we can’t get fast-break points,” Caruso said. “If we give up offensive rebounds, we can’t get on a break and run early. It’s little things like that that we have to shore up.”
Bulls live — and die — inside the arc
The Bulls will never be a team defined by 3-point shooting. For most of the season, they held an impressive statistic — the most accurate team from behind the 3-point arc despite taking the fewest attempts per game. They’re still taking the fewest (27 per game) since the All-Star break, but their percentage cooled off from 37.6% to 35.7% while other teams such as the Bucks, Suns and Brooklyn Nets continued to heat up.
This shouldn’t be a make-or-break statistic for the Bulls. Their offense is designed to be assist-heavy with a higher emphasis on the midrange and driving to the rim than other teams. But that simply isn’t happening — the Bulls’ assist ratio has dropped into the bottom quarter of the league, and they’re being consistently outscored in the paint.
In recent games, 3-point shooting has been the only thing separating the Bulls from a blowout in the first half. But if the Bulls are going to return to higher-scoring ways, they’ll need to stick close to their identity inside the arc.
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