Last night, the Chicago Bulls dropped to 8-12 this season with a 119-133 loss against the Orlando Magic. Many would say that eight wins in the first 20 games is ahead of schedule, and they would be correct. While the team was projected to finish in the mid-20s for the wins column and is currently on pace for 33 wins, visually, it wasn’t a very appealing first quarter of the season. The highlights were the three-point shooting numbers, which have done a complete turnaround from the last several campaigns when Billy Donovan’s group was at the bottom of the NBA. The Bulls are currently in the top three in terms of three-point percentage, three-point attempts per contest, and fifth in overall scoring. All these signs would not indicate that the head coach’s job is in danger, right? Here’s the catch: Chicago is dead last in nearly every defensive category, including tonight’s league-leading seventh game surrendering 130 or more points. Orlando is in the bottom four in points per game, without their leading scorer and 2023 All-Star Paulo Banchero, and was fresh off a 95-point performance where they shot 40% from the field and 26% from deep. How hot is Donovan’s seat after yet another embarrassing outing?
Complete Opposite Product From 2021-23
Bulls fans were programmed for the better part of three years to watch elite defense, barely any three-point attempts on offense, and the worst offensive attack in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan’s play style of working the mid-post and drawing fouls was a large part of this movement, and having Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Williams getting consistent minutes meant a mediocre three-point threat with top-level defense. After shipping Caruso to a contender, seeing the gradual improvement offensively from Dosunmu, Williams going down to injury, and adding Josh Giddey’s playmaking along with Jalen Smith’s stretch-four ability, Donovan has made it clear that the new agenda is to shoot as many three-point shots as possible.
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All 21 three-pointers in the W vs. Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/kJqQzMvCgv
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 26, 2024
Chicago has scored 125+ points in each of its last three games (11/22-11/26), tying the Bulls franchise record for most consecutive games with at least 125 points.
The Bulls have tied previous three-game streaks from the 1982-83 and 1990-91 seasons, via Bulls PR.
— Alyssa Bergamini (@AlyssaBergamini) November 27, 2024
Scoring is at an all-time high, there’s no denying, but when the points allowed are also historically bad, it doesn’t translate to wins. The 2024-25 Chicago Bulls are losing track races rather than the rock fights the team lost over the past three years, and Donovan needs to answer for it.
Lack Of Effort, Focus, Discipline
There will be classic shootouts in the NBA where both teams are running well in transition, shooting an above-average clip from deep and getting a solid chunk of points from the charity stripe. In Chicago’s case, this is gifted to the other team nightly. Earlier this month, the Bulls allowed 140 or more points in three out of seven games, including 142 at home to the Memphis Grizzlies without their leading scorer and All-NBA guard Ja Morant. When factoring in the minute distribution and age of the players touching the floor for the Bulls, this is the youngest roster they’ve had in a decade, and it shows. They’re committing fouls at a top-eight in the league rate, allowing the most three-point makes and best shooting percentage against, and are turning the ball over offensively the ninth-most. These are all head coach red flags. Even with a young roster, turnovers and fouls signify discipline and focus, or lack thereof, and directly reflect the coach’s ability to get his roster to commit on that end of the floor.
If things don’t turn around defensively, or at least halt the embarrassing outings, don’t be surprised to see a change in leadership. It’s evident that the current group is unwilling to give maximum effort defensively and quickly turns their focus to the offensive side of the ball, exposing how crucial a defensive-minded coach can be for a group of offensive-minded young players. While Chicago may have some of the most exciting three-point threats and transition high-flyers, it will be a dreadful season of high-scoring losses if someone doesn’t convince them to play defense.
Can Billy Donovan regain the trust of this young group and rally them together defensively, or will the front office give that opportunity to someone else before the year’s end?
