Chicago Bulls: Three things to look forward to post All-Star break
By Jerry Finger
Head coach Jim Boylen’s new look offense
Its only been four games but since acquiring Porter the Bulls have looked like a completely different team, compared to early on in the Jim Boylen era when they played a more grit and grind style of basketball. Back then the offense consisted of more Robin Lopez back to the basket post ups than Lauri Markkanenthree-point shots.
No fan wants to see their franchise forward getting fewer plays set up for him than the veteran big men. But that is exactly how the Boylen head coaching era started out. He wanted his players to always slow the ball down after getting the rebound and never push the ball. It seemed as if he was totally clueless to the fact that he had a young team who was at their best when pushing the pace and scoring in transition.
Jim Boylen on the Bulls on verge of All-Star break: "I’m hopeful. I’m excited. I like how we’ve improved and the additions we’ve made. We're playing competitive. We’re starting to get a feel for each other. I think Lauri has had as good a 30 days as a guy I’ve ever coached."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 14, 2019
Boylen is excited and maybe fans should be as well. In order to do that we have to try to forget his slow start. Instead, we must focus on the new team since the big trade. As mentioned above, during the last four games the Bulls rank eighth with 117.8 ppg. Hopefully, that trend continues.
Now let’s look at some minor changes that have occurred over these last 4 games. It starts with Porter and his contributions since coming to the Bulls. He is averaging 22 points a game while shooting 57 percent from deep. The Bulls offensive rating over the last four games is 114, compared to a 103 offensive rating for the rest of the season, which is good for last place.
This all starts with them pushing the ball more up the court and being allowed to run in transition. I don’t know if this stems from Porter not really knowing the Bulls’ offensive plays so they are forced to play more freely, or if Boylen has had a change of heart and decided to play to his team’s strength and allow this young athletic group to play fast.
Their pace metric has improved to a 103 through the last four games compared to just a 99 throughout the entire season. This little difference proves that if the Bulls continue to play fast and with pace their offensive efficiency will surely increase and hopefully lead to more wins in the future.
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With athletes like Zach Lavine and Kris Dunn, Boylen should continue to encourage his team to push the ball up the court as quickly as possible. With Porter on the team, the Bulls have more kick out options besides just Markkanen.
If Dunn can improve and become a more efficient scorer it would open up even more shots for Markkanen, Lavine, and Porter at the three. Porter’s three-point ability has made defending this team very hard because when the starters are out there they have consistent shooting threats all over the court. If things continue like this I think there is a chance this offense could really surprise some people.