Steph Noh: Are the Bulls back, what is real and not

[dougthonus]

Great read from Steph Noh on the Bulls start:

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/chicago-bulls/news/bulls-back-whats-real-whats-not-chicagos-hot-start/0a08a3faf02dd0285ac51f3a

[DuckIII]

Its a really interesting read. There's some statistical breakdowns that are consistent with what we see but he makes some really interesting extrapolations as well. I really liked it.

Least surprising stat: Bulls have the least isolation plays in the NBA.

I think that's the main reason its been so fun. 5 man basketball gets the best looks. I don't care how skilled any individual player is except maybe Wemby because he's just not fair; no one can move faster than the ball.

That is not to discount the importance of having bucket getters and franchise players for critical postseason possessions. You do need at least one and we don't have a finished version of that guy yet. Just saying what we are doing is not only fun, its effective. But it takes a unique roster composition and mindset to accomplish it in the NBA.

[kodo]

Some nice stats in this one.

I do think it's a little bit too reliant on P&R pass plays for the offense, there are several times per game where we throw up hand grenades or even get an actual 24 second shot clock violation which is unheard of these days. These are as bad as turnovers. Tre is slightly too focused on getting an assist and has a number of times passed up open shots only to drive it and hand the ball off with a few seconds left to someone who has to throw up garbage. That's not a good play, as a lead ballhandler sometimes he has to take the shot.

And the results show all these screens don't result in an excellent offense, Bulls are 15th. Nothing to really be proud of.
But the cup half full is that the Bulls generated a 15th offense without their best scorer and Okoro in the starting lineup.

[DuckIII]

Some nice stats in this one.

I do think it's a little bit too reliant on P&R pass plays for the offense, there are several times per game where we throw up hand grenades or even get an actual 24 second shot clock violation which is unheard of these days. These are as bad as turnovers. Tre is slightly too focused on getting an assist and has a number of times passed up open shots only to drive it and hand the ball off with a few seconds left to someone who has to throw up garbage. That's not a good play, as a lead ballhandler sometimes he has to take the shot.

And the results show all these screens don't result in an excellent offense, Bulls are 15th. Nothing to really be proud of.
But the cup half full is that the Bulls generated a 15th offense without their best scorer and Okoro in the starting lineup.

I don't think its a question of whether or not stylistically it can work. I think the point I take away is more that we are 15th in the league despite having zero go-to scorers. That's a positive sign, to me. It would seem - and will be interesting to see if - the return of Coby and his gravity would lead to a rise in those ranks. But I can't imagine the offensive game plan really changing all that much when he returns from an Xs and Os standpoint. I expect him to just become a huge part of what defenses will have to worry about within that structure.