Hoops Habit
Fansided

3 Keys to getting the Chicago Bulls back on track after a disappointing start

By Thomas J. Brown

Nov 14, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talks to forward DeMar DeRozan (11) and guard Zach LaVine (8) during a timeout of the NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Bulls wins 100-90. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talks to forward DeMar DeRozan (11) and guard Zach LaVine (8) during a timeout of the NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Bulls wins 100-90. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Chicago Bulls: Score more points!

The idea that a basketball team needs to score more points in order to win more games seems like a painfully obvious observation, but it is more complex than that. Right now, the Bulls are averaging 111.4 points per game. That is the 18th-highest average in the NBA. There are only 16 teams that officially qualify for the postseason, so the fact that they are flirting with being on the outside of the playoff picture should come as no surprise.

On the surface, it would seem that Chicago does not struggle to put points on the board. They currently have five players averaging double digits per game. In addition to their well-known “Big 3,” Ayo Dosunmu and Goran Dragić are averaging more than 10 points per game as well. However, a closer look at the team’s shooting splits sheds light on their offensive problems.

The team is currently shooting a combined 46.4 percent from the field, good for 19th in the league. In contrast, there are several teams shooting close to or above 48 percent from the field, with one team, the Denver Nuggets, shooting over 50 percent from the floor. Chicago has three of the most reliable offensive weapons in the league:

DeRozan, LaVine, and Vučević. The fact that the team is in the bottom half of shooting percentages in the NBA means that they are not creating easy opportunities for their best players. The Big 3 will always lead the team in shot attempts, as they rightfully should, but if the team created easy scoring opportunities for them, it would force defenses to collapse, create open shots out of double teams, and increase the overall percentage of made shots.

Therefore, the team’s low shooting percentage is not attributable to a lack of talent but can instead be attributed to a lower level of offensive continuity that has not created open looks for the role players, who are not expected to dominate but are still required to contribute.

Home/Chicago Bulls