Commentary: Running with the Bulls |
The Chicago Bulls statistically have the fastest pace of play in the NBA right now. Billy Donovan knows that his team will be outsized on most nights, as the Bulls have one of the smallest lineups in the league. The key to this principle of offense is to play smart defense and get rebounds so you can take off on the fast break. This strategy seems to be working, as the Bulls have come back from 20-point deficits in each of their last two games. When the Bulls' three-point shooting is on, the offense looks like a well-oiled machine and has allowed the Bulls to overcome deficits.
The downside to this type of offense is that when everything is not clicking, you will end up in deficits that are hard to come back from. Some of you may or may not know the name Nolan Richardson. Nolan Richardson rose to prominence at the University of Tulsa and elevated that program into an NCAA tournament team with a style of play that he called 40 minutes of hell. Nolan Richardson then went on to the University of Arkansas and, in 1994, won the National Championship. I am not saying that this style of play will lead to the Bulls winning a championship this year, but I will say this season should be fun to watch due to the style of basketball being played. Another benefit to this style of play is that it has led to a resurgence for Zach Lavine. Minus his injured shoulder affecting his shot in Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic, Zach Lavine has looked pretty good this season. He has played a team style of basketball and looks to be committed to helping this young team succeed. The aspect that has surprised me the most would be the play of Nikola Vucevic. He’s played well, and the fast style of play has not hampered his playmaking skill set in the paint. Nikola Vucevic also seems to have found his shooting stroke from beyond the arc, as he is shooting at a higher percentage than last year. Heading into this season, the odds were always going to be in favor of the team that you are watching right now being different by the season’s end. The way that Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic are playing could lead to trade partners that can provide the Bulls with more building blocks to surround Josh Giddey and company. Speaking of Josh Giddey, he has been dishing out assists and driving in the paint more and looking like a fundamental piece of the future for Chicago. Bulls’ rookie Matas Buzelis has not seen too many minutes so far, but his development is vital to the Bulls. Billy Donovan is committed to having the Bulls run the floor each game. Watching the games you can see that when the Bulls are in the half court set, that at times the offense has struggled. Timeouts have been called through multiple games, with Billy Donovan telling his team to pick up the pace and space the floor. This style of play is not going to lead the Bulls to a world championship, but it may have the Bulls running themselves right into the playoffs. As of this writing, the Bulls are sitting above .500 for the first time in what seems like forever at 3-2. The games have been fun to watch, the comebacks from 20-plus points down have been inspiring, and the Chicago Bulls are looking to see how far their running can take them.
