Chicago Bulls: 3 takeaways from loss to the Miami Heat
By Ryan Taylor
Look, I get it, this season the Miami Heat allow the least amount of points in the paint to their opponents in the NBA (40.1 points per game). But, when their best defender/shot-blocker/interior big man — Bam Adebayo — is out for the game, I expect the big guys to show up. At one point, Stacey King mentioned the Bulls had missed 11 layups in the first half.
Let’s get specific. Carter had four points, nine rebounds, and three assists while shooting 20% from the field. That is bad. Carter was easily defended by Andre Igoudala in the paint and was brutally blocked by Chris Silva on one possession. Both of these two Heat players are shorter and weigh an average of 45 pounds less than Carter.
Markkanen offered zero offensive help in the paint too. He only took eight field goals of his 18 from inside the three-point arc. Any time he was in the paint, he was physically abused by the Heat. I understand it can be difficult when the Heat switch to a 2-3 zone, giving the Bulls more shots outside, but there has to be some aggression in the paint.
From a total team standpoint, the Bulls shot just seven free throws to the Heat’s 20. This is one of the Bulls’ biggest weaknesses, as they rank 29th in the NBA in free throws attempted per game (19.6 free throws).
To some surprise, the Bulls average 50.1 points in the paint per game, which ranks seventh in the NBA. The Bulls had just 36 points in the paint tonight versus the Heat’s 46 points.