Chicago Bulls: 3 takeaways from loss to the Miami Heat

Before I go on a negative tangent about the Bulls for one last point, let’s dive into something the Bulls were able to do extremely well versus the Heat — passing. The Bulls this season average 26.2 assists per game, which ranks eighth in the NBA. Against the Heat on Friday night, they put up 25 assists. Many came from the starters and some of the bench, like Denzel Valentine and Tomas Satoransky.

LaVine led the way with six total assists. He dropped a few dimes to Markkanen in the paint and outside the arc. He did a nice job knifing up the defense with scoring and passing. The Heat have the fifth-best defense in the NBA.

Coby White came in with a solid five-assist game to make up a little for his eight-point performance. White dropped a few dimes, one particular unrecorded pass, he sliced through the Heat’s zone-defense dishing to Carter before getting blocked. But, it’s the thought that counts.

Of course, Bulls fans have to tip their caps to Thaddeus Young, or “Thadgic Johnson,” who made a few “thadgical” passes with three assists. Young forced his way into the paint multiple times to create some offense for the Bulls, but they could only take advantage of a few passes he dished outside for open looks in this one.

The common theme was making great passes, a lot of which were unaccounted for or shots that didn’t fall. But, the Bulls are moving the ball and showing they are one of the best offenses in the NBA.