PridGeon Points: Bulls' Season of Growth Fades to Off-Season Focus on Improvement
Steps towards contending were obvious for the franchise, a plan moving beyond that may be less so
The Chicago Bulls finished their season last week on the wrong end of a gentleman's sweep (4-1) at the hands of the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.
There was an eerie feel of redundancy entering this one as, with many points of the season, the Bulls were forced to succumb to the adversities that having talent missing in action offer.
In their case, it's never been just one guy. Whether at the hands of injury, Covid, or both, multiple guys missing in action was the recurring theme of the season. Which renders players, analysts, and fans alike to all the hypothetical “what if” scenarios in gauging just where this team is in comparison to the rest of the Eastern Conference.
A new iteration very-much in the beginning stage of establishing continuity and an identity, this Bulls team had plenty more “ups” than “downs” this season.
They came into the season having made three headlining acquisitions (DeRozan, Ball, Caruso) via free agency, preceded by the acquisition of center Nikola Vucevic at the 2020-2021 trade deadline, which sparked the face change for this franchise as his addition brought a level of viability in terms of winning.
Projections via FiveThirtyEight had them slated for a sub .500 record, rendering them to the Play-In realm in comparison to the rest of the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls shattered that, and earned themselves a sixth place finish, even while enduring the aforementioned abundance of absences they compiled out the gate.
In the playoffs, competing in a rendition noticeably less than what they hoped to compete with, they remained competitive in the first two games, even garnering a win in on the road in game two.
However, as games three and four shifted to Chicago, and the series ran deeper, they quite simply didn't have the horses to compete with the defending champions.
There was an abrupt reminder that there are tiers to contending, though the Bulls showed they are firmly working to plant themselves in that tier.
A season of great growth, transitioning from a 22-win team, to 31, and now a 46-win team with expectations, let's dive into three points of emphasis for the Bulls in this off-season.
1.) Continuity
The main difference between the Bulls and the teams they aspire to compete with (Milwaukee, Boston, Miami) is continuity.
Each of those teams, having been through a few renditions, have seen both highs and lows, but they have a core of players that have been around long enough to have compiled those experiences together, intensifying their cohesion. Then, subsequently, they can apply to any coming scenarios where that trust and togetherness is inevitably tested.
Having that at your foundation is a premier weapon in-and-of itself.
The Bulls came into this season having just seven players return from last season (only outdone by the Lakers, who returned just three.
In that posed inevitable hiccups, not even factoring in the issue of absences.
Though changes are needed on the fringes for this team, having a foundation of players (and a head coach) who persist from this season to next season will do the Bulls well.
Giving their deemed core another opportunity to have at it, in hopes of good (or better luck in) health is the best approach to this off-season.
2.) Shooting
That said, shooting had been an issue for the Bulls all season.
I look at how the Miami Heat played the Bulls this season, as well as hoe the Bucks played them, in crowding the paint and enticing shots from outside thought their defensive schemes, and feel like that is the perfect template for the Bulls to align their efforts with in negating heading into next season.
The Bulls had only three floor spacers that teams legitimately respected, and the lack of collective gravity was felt against the teams that are solid in their defensive schemes and principles in the halfcourt.
In that, driving lanes and room to maneauver for the likes of DeRozan and LaVine were stifled more frequently and viably with help from the opposition, as they had little to no fear conceding open looks from deep to most of the players positioned in shot-making scenario's off the catch.
Addressing that via playoff-ready players who are both experienced and have shown they can perform when called upon on that stage is imperative.
Names like Bryn Forbes, Gary Harris, Danuel House, come to mind as targets, with the latter four providing viable defense on the other end as well.
All four names provide a dynamic as shooters who can excel both in stationary and movement shooting. Helping to space the floor viably around the Bulls big three and do so with an accumen of relocating to better-position themselves in playing off the help defense and attention their top-end talents will attract on the regular.
For Forbes, he even brings the dynamic of off-screen shooting that unlocks a whole other dynamic that could give the Bulls offense a much-needed dynamic and lift in nuance.
Shooting certainly has to be addressed for this roster to take another step in this roster reaching its peak potential.
3.) Developing “Homegrown” Talents
Also with each of those teams, and others that are in that tier weren't all “bought."“
Trades and free agency signings are certainly a major part in expediting and solidifying the process of winning and contending for franchises, but it's the attaining and developing of those talents that consistently serves as the mark of a truly elite franchise.
The Bulls have added their two blue chips through the draft the last few seasons, in Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu.
Both players fit extremely well with this iteration that's been compiled, they're properly positioned, and they have strengths in skillsets to help raise this teams floor as they continue to hone in on their games.
In Williams, the Bulls have that highly sought-after wing with a propensity for effectives in a two-way variety, who can also create both for himself as well as for others. He's also of the ilk that unlocks this teams ability to play modern basketball with a spaced floor, starting with a versatile frontcourt piece next to their big man.
Williams also has potential to be elite defensively. He has the foot speed and lsteral quickness to guard out in space with quick hands to add to his activity, the strength and length to body up and contest in the post, and the intangibles to function in many different roles defensively.
His next steps in growth will come more-so with repititions with the Bulls starters. He's shown he has a switch he can flip in asserting himself, as he showed against the Wolves to end the season, he now needs to get a feel for doing so with other dominant talents on the floor too.
For Dosunmu, the former Bob Cousy Award winner has always had the tangibles and intangibles needed to be solid on the NBA level. He runs a true point guard, has a feel for who to get the ball to and when, showed he can shoot better than his pre-Draft assessments suggested, and he's shown he can do so off the catch.
As he continues to garner a feel for pace, and when to manufacture his own shots in the halfcourt, he'll continue gradually ascending.
However, defensively, he's already far ahead of the curve. He should make an all rookie defensive team, and is on the all rookie second team in my estimation as well.
He has extremely good discipline in knowing his personnel, as well as in a gameplan. He has excellent hands and timing with them. He's great navigating screens on-ball. Even off-ball, he's great in help from the nail and below that, is unbelievably solid in closing out and recovering, and has displayed great discipline in judgement on not over-helping.
He's one of the best defensive rookies of this deep draft class.
From being expected to play in the G-League, to then not being expected to crack the rotation, he's continued to strike down all doubts about where he is with his game.
With strength, and an evolution in his shooting and finishing at the rim, he's going to also be key for the Bulls as they trek forward.
Having a battle-tested and ever-steady veteran like DeRozan simply a call away and openly available (and eager) to invest in the present and future of your franchise is an asset.
The benefits will be highly sought-after coming into next season.
4.) Evolution of the offense
The Bulls offense lacked a level of creativity and/or nuance this season. Oftentimes, rendering themselves to predictability which, in-turn, saw even an offense with the explosives they've compiled to be stagnated for minute-long stretches. Also leaving them vulnerable to the versatile schemes that elite defenses can deploy.
Incorporating more consistent player and ball movement, and off-script principles for this team to abide by, will go a long way for a team that, as it is, had the 7th best halfcourt offense (their first top-10 finish since half court offense began being ranked in 2003-04).
Having more capable pieces around them, as mentioned in the shooting segment above, will greatly aid these efforts as the ball will more naturally move, as well as players, but having it as principle in your foundation will go a long way in evolving the attack.
The Bulls have two of the best pressure points in the league in DeRozan and LaVine, as well as one of the best third options across the league who doubles as one of the best shooting bigmen and one of the best passing/ processing bigmen in the Association.
Evolving the pieces and how they're positiond and used around them, with concision, is imperative.
5.) Defense
The Bulls had a top-end defense for segments of the season, namely when Ball and Caruso were in the lineup consistently.
That is good, it's damn good when you consider how these two anchors were able to play both independent and in tandem with each other.
However, the issue is that whenever one or both were out of the lineup, there was a signific drop-off both statistically and optically with efforts and effectiveness in execution.
That can't happen. There should be a collective standard in place to be upheld, regardless of who's in or out of the lineup.
People like to mock the “Heat Culture” moniker, but that standard is quite literally what their franchise has embodied.
That's the mark of true contenders there.
As the Bulls continue, having Dosunmu and Williams as consistent pieces in their rotation will help to fortify and aid the collective defensive efforts and abilities, but there has to be collective buy-in top to bottom for them.
The scheme they run, predicated on Vucevic being in the much-maligned drop cop coverage, is predicated upon solid off-ball denial and connected point of attack defense.
The point of attack typically isn't an issues, having three guys at guard who can defend st a high level, so it's on the back-end when it comes to timely rotations, awareness levels and being engaged consistently, where this team must grow.
Too many times there have been open shooters with no contests, two guys rotating to the same player, and rotations completely missed. Those instances should be few and far in-between. That comes before deploying any scheme.
They've shown they have the ability to do so numerous times, however those moments oftentimes were not for sustainable periods down the home stretch and in the playoffs past game two.
They do need to add another bigger, viable body to depend on-on the wing, to help their fearsome foursome of defenders (Caruso, Ball, Dosunmu, Williams) evolve, as Williams is the only one north of 6’6 in that bunch. But as it stands, all they need to focus on is that growth internally.
There is also a need for a big man who can be a contrast to the Vucevic dynamic off the bench. Preferably a big man who can execute different schemes defensively whether it's switch-ability, simply playing two to three steps closer to the screen, or even at the level of it if not trapping, and protect the rim more viably.
(Whispers, it's be an added plus if said player can also provide the flair of vertical spacing, that would be absolutely perfect)
In all, the sky has not fallen at all for the Bulls. They've thoroughly over-exceeded expectations time and time again this season. There are however, areas for growth. As Arturas Karnisovas and Mark Eversley grow assess the roster and pieces they have in place, trust that they'll be add to the efforts they've already displayed in their early partnership in roster building. The Bulls roster is in good hands with those two.