During the COVID-19 spike and postponement, let’s enjoy some Chicago Bulls numbers

This season has been a blast for Chicago Bulls fans. We have seen the newly-created roster take off in a way we never thought was possible — and under circumstances we never saw coming.

To start the year, the Bull shave been playing without several key players here and there. Chicago lost Nikola Vucevic for a stretch, and had already lost Patrick Williams for the year.

Then came the COVID outbreak. The Bulls are in the midst of a week where two games have been postponed due to the majority of their roster being in health and safety protocol, and they do not play again until Sunday night when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

At 17-10, the Bulls are still second in their division and one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. When healthy, this team is a championship contender. They have given fans a reason to be legitimately excited about Chicago basketball once again.

Looking at the numbers, these Chicago Bulls are a team to reckon with as we’re just over a quarter into the season.

To begin with, the Bulls possess the number one scoring duo in the NBA.

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are both top-10 in the NBA in scoring

Right now, Zach LaVine (9th, 26.0) and DeMar DeRozan (6th, 26.4) are among the league-leaders in scoring. The Bulls haven’t had a scoring duo like this in decades. Not since the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have the Bulls had such a prolific scoring duo.

Alex Caruso is still leading the NBA in steals

Alex Caruso is tied for first in the NBA, averaging 2.2 steals per game along with the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler. His presence has meant more to the Bulls than fans could have ever thought when the team originally signed him over the summer.

The Bulls are 4th in the NBA in three-point percentage

As a team, the Bulls are shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range. Among qualified players, Lonzo Ball (42.1 percent) and Ayo Dosunmu (41.5 percent) are the team leaders. Javonte Green (38.5 percent) and LaVine (39.1 percent) are also making noise in this area.

Chicago is 8th in the NBA in overall field goal percentage

The Bulls are shooting 46.5 percent from the field. For perspective, the league-leading Utah Jazz are shooting 48.2 percent. The two guys scoring the most, DeRozan and LaVine, are shooting 49.8 and 49.0 percent respectively.

The Bulls are the no. 9 team in points allowed per game

Chicago is allowing 105.7 points per game as a team. They are 8th in the league with a +2.5 point differential on the season as well.

As a whole, this Bulls team is worlds above any recent roster fans have seen in Chicago. Head coach Billy Donovan has worked his magic, and even the role players have come up in big moments throughout this season. The team is playing together, and once they are all healthy, the rest of the Eastern Conference is in some trouble.