The Bulls have embodied March Madness more than any collegiate basketball team. They traded away their best player and the face of the franchise for the last seven years, only to improve in the standings and completely revamp their energy. In the month, they’re 9-5, have won nine of their last 12 matchups, and have beaten seven playoff teams while rising in the Eastern Conference standings. Barring a total collapse, they’ll be in the Play-In tournament for a third consecutive year and have a good chance of seeing the Miami Heat, who they have lost to in each of the previous two. Before hosting Chicago, one Western Conference playoff team’s head coach had raving reviews about the new-look Bulls. Not only did Chicago proceed to beat them on their home floor, but they proved him to be right in the process. Here’s why his words hold so much value.
Michael Malone Applauds Bulls
Malone coached the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title in 2023 and has coached the Western Conference All-Stars on two separate occasions. Safe to say, Malone knows high-level basketball. Not to mention, Nikola Jokic has won three MVP awards under his leadership and is headed for his fourth this season. For him to acknowledge that the Bulls have one of the fastest-paced and lethal teams leaguewide is a significant compliment.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone on Bulls: “This might be the best running team in the league.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 24, 2025
Statistically, he’s not far off. The Bulls have the league’s third most possessions per game with 106.4, attempt the second-most three-point shots at 42.4, and score the sixth-best points with 117.4. Their schedule has featured some of the season’s highest-scoring bouts in the entire NBA.
Perfect Build For Speed And Threes
Chicago’s roster is ideally suited to running fast, shooting three-point shots, and scoring in bunches. Unfortunately, it’s not built for equally stifling defense, hence the 33-41 record and ninth-place standing in the Eastern Conference. Although only one player averages over 20 points per night, five average over 10, and seven average at least four three-point tries per game. They also flex nine players who shoot 35% or better from beyond the arc. Their 36.8% clip as a team ranks them 12th in three-point efficiency.
30 points for Coby White in three-straight games!
Coby becomes the 7th Bull in franchise history to score 30 in three consecutive games.
The others: Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Bob Love, & Chet Walker. pic.twitter.com/O61DvlSZLi
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 25, 2025
How far can reckless pace and three-point shooting abilities take this new young core? A 25, 22, and 19-year-old are currently carrying the scoring burden for Chicago and might become the trio of the future for the Bulls. If Josh Giddey and Coby White can continue their evolving partnership while Matas Buzelis continues to develop offensively, they could be a scary sight come playoff time. In a potential one-and-done scenario in the Play-In bracket, they’ll be hoping for a hot shooting night when they need it most.
