The Chicago Bulls Defense: A breakdown of mishaps and fixes
By Ryan Taylor
The Chicago Bulls defense is costing them games and it could consequentially leave them out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
It’s no question that the Bulls’ defense is bad. This season, they are the 20th ranked defense in the NBA — allowing 113.5 points per game. But, how bad is it?
Take the Bulls’ loss from two games ago for example. They allowed 121 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, the Timberwolves. They have the worst record in the NBA this season. They are the same team that has the 22nd ranked offense in the NBA and the third-worst shooting percentage as a team.
Against the Bulls, they shot 49.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from the three-point line. The Timberwolves also cashed all 25 of their free-throw attempts.
Issues on defense continue for Vucevic, who was -14 tonight in Chicago’s loss to Minnesota, and -14 in their Friday loss to Atlanta. Last Bulls win, vs. Toronto on Wednesday, he was -5 (Daniel Theis was +16 off the bench).
— Mike Trudell (@MikeTrudell) April 12, 2021
So, what’s the outlook for the Bulls in terms of the rest of the season?
In short, if they cannot fix their defensive struggles, not well.
The Bulls, as of this writing, hold the 10th place spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. This means they will be granted access to a play-in tournament to grab the eighth seed in the East.
They trail the ninth-place Indiana Pacers by three games. The Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards trail the Bulls by just two games.
It is important to remember, the Bulls are a brand new team as of March 25. They waved goodbye to four players — Otto Porter, Wendell Carter, Daniel Gafford, and Chandler Hutchison. In exchange, they got back newly acquired Nikola Vucevic, Al-Farouq Aminu, Daniel Theis, Troy Brown, and Javonte Green.