I can’t believe I’m about to type this — the Chicago Bulls have the best record in the NBA. After outscoring the Boston Celtics 37-9 in the fourth quarter last night, the Bulls sit comfortably atop the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 record. Smoking on that leprechaun pack today. It feels so damn good to sit down for a Bulls game and feel like they’re going to win, even when they face a deficit.
DeMar DeRozan deserves a lot of the credit for Chicago’s hot start. After dropping 37 points against Boston, he’s tied with Zach LaVine at 26.5 points per game as the team’s scoring leader. DeRozan and LaVine’s combined 53 points per game account for 48% of Chicago’s scoring (109.7 PPG), and having a second lethal scoring option has paid dividends for the Bulls. If LaVine or Nikola Vucevic have been cold or the second unit needs a jolt, DeRozan has been there to answer the call.
This type of scoring output from DeRozan is nothing new, but he’s seemingly added a new fold to his game — three-point shooting. Seven games into the season, DeRozan is attempting the second-most threes of his career (2.5 per game) and knocking them down at a career-best clip (41.2%). DeRozan’s inside and midrange games have translated from franchise to franchise, but if he’s able to maintain efficiency from beyond the arc, he’ll have a more-than-impressive stint in the Windy City.
DeRozan, LaVine, and Ball have perfectly filled their roles, but I can’t help but feel like Nikola Vucevic has been the odd man out. He hasn’t been bad — he’s averaging a double-double — but he’s yet to find his stroke. Vucevic is shooting 39.6/30.0/72.2 splits, all below his career averages. He’s averaging 15.1 points per game on 15.1 shot attempts (that’s fun), so it seems like his performance is aligned more so with adjusting to a lesser role than inefficiency. Vucevic is an All-Star — there isn’t a need to worry. He’s sinking clutch shots and grabbing boards like a mad man. Once his shooting percentages tick back up, he, DeRozan, and LaVine will be a deadly three-headed snake.
Last week’s loss against the New York Knicks was the Bulls’ worst outing of the year (especially defensively), but their late-game comeback attempt proved that they can fight back from deficits. It also showed a need for more big man depth — Lonzo's a great defender, but he shouldn't be the primary defender on Julius Randle in the fourth. There isn't much to complain about, though — losses are inevitable.
Everyone's going to miss Patrick Williams this season, but the Bulls haven't given us any reason to worry. We're at the top of the Central Division, Eastern Conference, and the entire league! Back-to-back wins against the Jazz and Celtics with a beaten-up Philly team on the horizon? I'm thinking hell yeah, brother. See red.
SO excited to see the bulls coming back so HOT and HEAVY. Keep up the good work and keep SEEING RED!