Last year, the Chicago Bulls were 46-36, good for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Although an early exit was not the result they wanted, having their best regular season record in eight seasons was enough for the new regime to stick around. Sitting at 11-16 through 27 games, with little signs of changes to come, many have called for a roster scrap and rebuild leading up to the trade deadline. With aging stars Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan not providing much value to a sub-.500 squad and with borderline contenders fishing for talent, the upside of draft capital and young talent is appealing to a Bulls team who will likely miss out on their first-round pick in this upcoming draft. Being 3-11 in clutch games, or games within five points under five minutes to play, is keeping the front office faithful that this group can turn it around and contend upon the return of Lonzo Ball.
Stars Have Not Come To Play
DeMar DeRozan has been much better than anticipated since arriving in the Windy City; Bleacher Report even went so far as to rank him first in their “10 Worst Signings of 2021 NBA Free Agency” before he’d ever put on the red and black. Leading a first-place Chicago Bulls team as an MVP candidate and putting up nearly 30 points per game was anything but a poor signing for a franchise that hadn’t reached the postseason in five years. Last year, he scored almost 100 more points than anyone else in the league in the fourth quarter. DeRozan averaged 8.3 points per fourth quarter at a 55% clip from the field in 2021, and this year just 6.5 points at a 10% worse percentage. He also stood at third-best in clutch time points and first in shooting percentage in those moments, which is where he’s taken his most significant step back, shooting only 43% down the stretch this season. The former USC Trojan forward also hit two miraculous buzzer-beaters last season, a feat that has yet to be done even once this year despite several chances. Regardless of the drop in efficiency, DeRozan still leads the entire NBA with 71 clutch time points.
The two more significant issues have been Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic. Being paid a combined 65 million dollars this year, many think the Bulls are throwing away money at this point. Lavine has shot 8-for-29 during clutch situations, including a terrible 2-of-17 from three-point land; that’s 11%! Considering Ben Simmons has a higher career three-point percentage than the crunch-time shooting of 215 million dollars in the form of Lavine, it’s safe to say some adjustments need to be made or ties need to be cut. Vucevic does not escape blame either. The two-time all-star is shooting just 36% in clutch moments, on under half the attempts of DeRozan, which will not appeal to any potential trade partners or destinations this summer when he becomes a free agent. Chicago was 25-16 in clutch games last year, the fourth best in the league in such scenarios. This year’s 3-11 stumble out of the gate in similar games can be draped over the shoulders of these two underperforming so-called stars.
Can’t Catch A Break
Coming off of wins against Washington and Dallas, the Bulls headed down to Atlanta hoping to grab their first three-game winning streak of the 2022-23′ season. Clawing back in the fourth quarter was a good sign for Chicago fans, but DeRozan missing two shots inside 16 seconds left in the game was a cover-your-eyes moment. Luckily, Derrick Jones Jr. saved the day and was fouled on a putback attempt to beat the buzzer, but missed the game-winner from the charity stripe with time expired. After a back-and-forth overtime period and clutch DeRozan free throws to go up one, Hawks rookie AJ Griffin made a seemingly impossible alley-oop layup with no time left to send Chicago packing.
Coming back home, the Bulls looked to bounce back against familiar faces Derrick Rose, Tom Thibodeau, and the New York Knicks. Again fighting back from a double-digit deficit and a back-and-forth fourth quarter, DeRozan scored the last eight points for Chicago, and forward Julius Randle missed the go-ahead shot at the end of regulation to send this one to overtime as well. Missing four consecutive shot attempts in overtime, the Bulls found themselves in a hole too deep to climb and lost by eight behind 61 from Randle and Jalen Brunson. They’ll get a shot at redemption this Friday as they take on the Knicks again in the United Center. These two brutal losses could have easily made for a four-game winning streak had a few more shots fallen; instead, they’ve further contributed to the abysmal 21.4% clutch time winning rate they possess.
It’s easy to see why the front office for Chicago has yet to pull the trigger on a complete rebuild, but if this ship doesn’t turn around soon, there will be no more smooth sailing. Even a respectable 7-7 record in those games would have the Bulls at a 15-12 record, good for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Clutch time is when the stars come out, and the Windy City is not-so-patiently waiting for newly signed star Zach Lavine to earn his payday and shine when the Bulls need him most.
No doubt the DeRozan signing has turned out great. Unfortunately, trading two #1s and young players for an old-time center, when the league trend is going the opposite direction, signing Lavine to max deal when he could barely walk at the end of last year, and signing Ball despite a history of knee issues have all been terrible moves.