Chicago Bulls: Five takeaways from the team’s first six games

4. The offense hasn’t been that much better

Unfortunately, the substandard defense has exposed how limited Chicago’s offense is. Because the Bulls hand out points like candy on Halloween, they don’t get many chances to manufacture easy points in transition (only the LA Clippers, Portland Trailblazers, and Oklahoma City Thunder average fewer transition possessions per game), meaning they often have to operate out of half-court sets.

Suffice to say, that hasn’t worked out early on. The Bulls have scored 3.6 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average, with their most glaring deficiencies showing up in the pick and roll (22nd in PPP), and in the turnover department (27th in giveaways per 100).

Yes, there have been some early successes in this offense. Zach LaVine continues to fill the high-volume shooting dynamo role that will keep fans wondering whether he’s part of the solution or the problem. Lauri Markkanen is sweltering from downtown (47.8 percent on 9.6 attempts per 100). Rookie Patrick Williams has flashed some potential. And Otto Porter looks like the multi-faceted two-way player the team traded for two seasons ago.

Still, aside from the two Washington games and their close loss to the Warriors, this offense has remained in first gear for two key reasons…