Chicago Bulls: 5 Keys To Remaining In Playoff Picture

Feb 6, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) and forward Taj Gibson (22) react during the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 112-105. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 18, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) reacts on the court alongside guard Aaron Brooks (0) at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Bulls won 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Coveted Bench Players Must Stand Up

It has been well documented that a few of the Bulls’ role players have had their fair share of struggles this season—most notably Doug McDermott and Tony Snell.

McDermott is playing with more confidence following a season in which he appeared in just 36 games, but he continues to be a liability on defense. In contrast, Snell doesn’t hurt the team from a defensive standpoint, but he has a tendency to have one good game followed by several outings where he has little or no impact.

For example, Snell scored 17 points in Chicago’s 106-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 12. Since that outing, he is averaging a pedestrian 3.3 points per game and has not reached double figures in 15 games. Needless to say, this is not what the front office had in mind when they picked up options for both players, placing them under contract through the 2016-17 season.

Make no mistake about it, the Bulls bench needs to improve overall, as the unit is ranked 24th in scoring. And that improvement starts with the two players Gar Forman and John Paxson hoped would take the next step this season.

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