My how things have changed in only a few short weeks. It wasn't so long ago that the Chicago Bulls were struggling to do anything right, and following a blowout loss to the New York Knicks, Jimmy Butler and others had some harsh criticisms of both the players and coaches, specifically Fred Hoiberg. But after tonight's win, it looks like those comments might have been the turning point for a choppy season so far as they've answered with a six-game win streak. The Bulls offense has starting to run smoothly, and they're finally coming together as a team that could challenge in the East.
The defense has been great all year. All of the critics who said that they were trading defense for offense going from Tom Thibodeau to Hoiberg were dead wrong. While Hoiberg was brought in to steer the ship the right direction offensively, he hasn't ignored the defense, and the Bulls are a team with great defenders.
When Butler called out the former Iowa State Cyclone for not coaching hard enough and holding players accountable, it made sense. Hoiberg, in his first stint as a coach in the NBA, is still learning the process, and he's the polar opposite to Thibs as far as demeanor is concerned. But that helped Hoiberg grow as a coach, and the players have started to feed off of him and each other.
That's been evidenced by this six-game run that they're on.
Chicago has averaged 107.8 points per game, and in four of the six games, shot better than 45 percent as a team. Two of the games were even above 50 percent, which is a stark improvement from the first 7-8 weeks of the 2015-16 season.
You've also seen a lot more camaraderie as well. Players are quicker to defend a teammate, and after Jimmy Butler's record-breaking 40-point half, there was a group embrace on the court around him with the whole team.
But it hasn't just been Butler. Don't get me wrong, he's been amazing the past five games or so, but even when he has an off night from the floor, the offense doesn't miss a beat.
Derrick Rose has stepped out of his funk and back into being a top scorer for the Bulls, putting up 19, 25, 20, 16 and 18 in his last five starts, and has shot 49.4 percent from the field. Pau Gasol has also been steady as ever, and even guys like Nikola Mirotic, Aaron Brooks, Taj Gibson, Tony Snell and Bobby Portis have stepped up their game offensively during this time.
The energy and flow this team has been playing with as a whole has just been fun to watch the past couple of weeks. All the while, they still lead the league in opponent's field-goal percentage at 41.6 percent.
Like I said, the defense has been great.
All of this leads me to believe that this team is capable of quite a bit. The question is, can their health hold up?
If the Bulls can stay moderately healthy for the rest of this season, they'll be able to continue growing as a unit and in this new offense. Obviously, they've come a long way in just a short couple of months. With the improved play of Rose, borderline elite status of Butler and contributions across the board elsewhere on a deep roster, this team may truly be able to contend with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the East this season.
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
