The Chicago Bulls Just Found Their Missing Piece To Winning Games

Monday night in Indiana was beginning to look like a rinse and repeat of the familiar old Bulls, headed into the fourth quarter trailing by five to the Pacers. With Patrick Williams sidelined for the entirety of the last period for a second consecutive outing, Chicago outscored Indiana by 12 and would secure the 112-105 road victory. This was an impressive win for the Bulls against a much younger 2-0 Pacers team that had averaged 134 points per game before this meeting. What did Chicago do differently than their last three games, and is it a sustainable formula for the entire season?

Getting Vucevic Involved

Nikola Vucevic has voiced his opinion early and often in the 2023 campaign. During the first half of the season opener, he and coach Billy Donovan were seen jawing on the sidelines, and his postgame interviews have echoed the message that he wants to be more involved offensively. Against the Pacers, the Bulls did just that.

Vucevic attempted a season-high 19 field goals and a season-low one three-point try. The intention to force the issue in the paint and get him early and often touches was apparent. He would finish 10-for-19 from the field alongside his season-best in scoring and rebounding at 24 points and 17 rebounds. He also doubled his highest free-throw attempts on the year and snagged his highest tally of offensive rebounds with five. It's safe to assume the Bulls will lean on their newly-extended big man more consistently moving forward.

The Big Three Clicking

Chicago's big three is one of the greatest mysteries in basketball. They have the talent and experience to coexist, yet have not synchronized their playing styles to fit one another consistently. In over 120 career outings as a trio, each of the three has scored 20 or more on the same night 26 times. In those games, they hold a record of 19-7. It's clear that if the opportunities are evenly distributed across the three scoring levels between LaVine's deep-range abilities, DeRozan's lethal midrange, and Vucevic's paint presence, the three are hard to stop for opposing defenses.

If the trend of working as a cohesive unit between the three elite scorers can continue, Chicago may become a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. Last year, they boasted the top defense in the NBA, and this year, they look like a similarly stifling group on that end of the floor.

Closing Lineup Adjustment

The other ingredient that the Bulls have found early success with in 2023 is tweaking the crunch time lineup from Patrick Williams to Alex Caruso. In each of their victories, Caruso has played a pivotal role late in the fourth quarter and overtime, and his veteran savviness and confidence have proven irreplaceable in Chicago's best unit. His defensive abilities on the opposition's best ball-handler have forced several turnovers and poor shot selections. His quick decision-making skills and facilitating abilities have created opportunities for the big three to score more freely, and his ability to knock down clutch shots and free throws has shined early this season.

Patrick Williams has been visibly upset on the sidelines during late-game scenarios where he's been replaced. Still, Donovan's decision to flip the two has made all the difference for the Bulls. Williams has consistently lacked grit and, frankly, does not have the basketball IQ that Caruso displays repeatedly when it matters most.

Can the Bulls keep and apply this winning formula consistently, or will we see the same 2022 version that has appeared in three of their first four games? The key to their success Monday night? Working through Vucevic and progressing to the three-point line from the paint. After the Mavericks, Friday night's game against the Brooklyn Nets will kick-off the NBA In-Season Tournament group play stage.