![]() Combine that with perimeter defenders who struggle to navigate screens and stay in front of their man and you get an obvious fatal flaw. Bigs who play such an extreme drop coverage leave the space in front of them wide open. The Bulls’ defensive spine lacked much thought at all. ![]() And it’s that center third where the defensive spine’s control of the game is strongest. If you divide an NBA court into thirds, a majority of the points scored come from the center third. I like to think of a team’s point of attack defender and rim protector as their defensive spine. Which allows Gafford to mainly operate in his best area, under the rim. However Washington’s rotation is full of perimeter players that are much better at screen navigation and keeping their chest in front of their man. Gafford is doing the same exact thing he did in Chicago. At the same time the teams guards Coby White and Zach LaVine aren’t accomplished point of attack defenders or screen navigators.ĭaniel Gafford has been heralded for his impressive defense in Washington. Wendell Carter and Daniel Gafford, the team’s centers operate better from deep drop coverage. While all of the players could have played these defensive possessions better, I think this comes down to a roster construction issue. Carter’s exaggerated drop leaves LaVine hopeless trying to keep up with Trae, culminating in a Trae Young and-1.Įvery possession counts, and the Bulls getting killed in the mid range and in between game at the top of the painted area quickly became a trend pre trade deadline. All of this excess movement and passive positioning leads to Zach being slow to get around the screener. ![]() This time Zach LaVine isn’t sticking close enough to Trae Young, and he allows his body to get turned because he is stepping when he should probably be shuffling. This clip happened 75 seconds after the previous clip. This is something I disagree with, and I want to look at some game tape to show you why. In fact, even most Bulls fans when talking about this upcoming offseason, would suggest that the Bulls need to prioritize addressing their defense. Most people would disagree with this statement. Not a great defensive team, but a good one. ![]() The Chicago Bulls’ are a good defensive team. This day’s lesson for me, the Bulls’ path to power had a long way to go. We gave up 83 in the first half to the Lloyd Pierce Hawks. These were not the Nate McMillan Hawks either. “Atlanta Hawks break franchise record with 83 first half points.” Saying that the Bulls could not stop the Atlanta Hawks offense that night, would be a severe understatement. Again the Hawks maestro returns, this time shifting to his left and driving down the lane at top speed for a silky finish at the rim. Next trip to the Bulls’ half-court bang a pullup 3 from Trae. Trae Young comes off a screen and draws a foul on a recovering Zach LaVine for an and-1. Cam Reddish glides past Coby White down the lane and drops in a floater. I thought December 23rd 2020 was going to be a happy day, however in reality it was quite the opposite. Before I tell you why I think the Chicago Bulls are going to be title contenders, I want to take you back to one of the most traumatic days of my life as a Bulls fan. And although the results have not been realized yet, I think they will be, to the tune of a 13 to 17 game improvement in the upcoming NBA season. However the Bulls’ midseason roster overhaul, started something really special. The Bulls were on pace to win ~35 games this season. If I had to put a number to the win total I have in mind for this Bulls team I refer to as the “Sleeping Giant”, I would say between 48 and 52. I’m not sure anyone other than the Bulls front office sees it coming, which is part of what makes it so special. The Bulls’ front office may not be taking the road most traveled to get to the end goal of title contention, but I do think the road they’ve chosen is working. In a world where most NBA franchises either fall in to the two categories “Title or Bust” and “Tank for Cade” the Chicago Bulls are doing neither and it’s as unique as it is beautiful. Why the Bulls are a lot closer to 50 wins than you’d think.
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