Chicago Bulls: 3 early takeways from Jim Boylen era

3. The more things change, the more they stay the same

In the first outing under Boylen, the Bulls fell to the Indiana Pacers, 96-90. The good news is they seemed to play with a bit more of the energy and spirit Paxson spoke about.

The next outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the few highlights during what has already been a difficult season for this young Bulls squad. Markkanen, who was playing in just his third game of the season, scored 24 points, including this layup in the closing seconds to lift Chicago.

Thanks to Paul George missing an open look from downtown on the game’s final possession, the Bulls held on for a 114-112 victory against one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference.

Any positive vibes from this win would be short-lived though, as the Bulls followed that up with a total goose egg against the Boston Celtics. The Celts jumped out to a 17-0 lead en route to a ridiculous 133-77 victory, handing the Bulls a 56-point loss — their most lopsided defeat in franchise history.

Furthermore, even with Markkanen back in the mix, along with Portis and Dunn, Chicago has dropped three of its four games under the new head coach. This proves that maybe the coaching style wasn’t the only factor that contributed to the team’s poor start.