3 reasons Chicago Bulls won’t make the 2019 NBA Playoffs
1. No defensive identity
While offense brings ratings and is exciting for fans, the old adage that defense wins championships still holds true. The top 15 teams in defensive rating were all playoff teams, the two top teams in the West being the Houston Rockets (sixth) and Golden State Warriors (ninth). Defense still matters if teams want to contend for championships.
The Chicago Bulls under Fred Hoiberg have not been good defensively. Now, with Jabari Parker and Zach LaVine together, they might just be worse, which is hard to do. Only the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns were worse defensively last season.
Outside of Kris Dunn and Carter, it’s difficult to view where the defensive effort will come from. Markkanen struggled defensively at times last season, but did show the physical ability to improve.
The rebuilding of the Chicago Bulls roster has been swift and surprising. Lauri Markkanen was better than expected in his rookie season and while last season’s 27-55 record didn’t net them a top-five pick, it did allow them to take Carter. This team shouldn’t be down in the cellar too long.
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On paper, this roster is much improved from last season. However, fans should be pumping the brakes on circling playoff dates at the United Center.