Lack Of Depth
Jimmy Butler is having another breakout season, averaging a career-best 24.5 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest. Wade — who is in his 14th NBA season — is also having a productive season, with averages of 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
So despite their glaring weaknesses in other areas, the Bulls do have a formidable one-two punch.
The problem is the supporting cast, or lack thereof.
Chicago Bulls
Sure, Robin Lopez (9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing) and Taj Gibson (11.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest) effectively play their positions, but neither player is a guy the Bulls can go to for a game-changing bucket in a close game.
Furthermore, the bench hasn’t come close to living up to expectations. Although Doug McDermott is averaging a career-high 9.9 points per contest, he hasn’t taken the leap from a defensive standpoint.
Meanwhile, Mirotic — who was supposed the fill the team’s need at the stretch-4 spot — isn’t shooting the ball at an efficient clip.
In fact his 9.0 points per contest on 38 percent shooting overall and 30 percent from beyond the arc are all career-lows for the third-year forward.
To further illustrate how ineffective the second unit has been up to this point, we need to look no further than Paul Zipser — who was the 48th overall pick by the Bulls in the 2016 NBA draft — is now the first guy off the bench.
The fact that Hoiberg is giving more playing time to a rookie he used sparingly during the first two months of the season speaks volumes to the fact that Chicago’s recent first-round selections are not making the cut.