Was last night probably the worst loss of the season for the Chicago Bulls? Yes. Did the entire fanbase spend last night into today questioning why the whole season has gone this way? Also yes. Although it would be easy to jump ship, as it has been many times this season, three main things should keep the faith alive and well in the Windy City following the abysmal second-half performance in Indiana. Before deciding to trade the entire team nearing the deadline, let's dive in.
1. New Year, New Bulls
Despite not seeming like the Chicago Bulls have turned a definite corner, they certainly have. Holding an 11-4 record in their last 15 games with a healthy DeMar DeRozan before last night, things were starting to click. Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams are playing arguably their best basketball in a Bulls uniform, and it's translated to wins more frequently in 2023.
Caruso and Vucevic have emerged as the two MVPs on either side of the floor for Chicago. Caruso's menacing defense has the Bulls sitting in the top four league-wide in defensive rating when he plays, and they drop to the bottom four in games without him. With his injuries in the rearview and his feeling "pretty good," it's exciting to know that this team will be more consistently solid on the defensive side of the floor. Vucevic has entered a time machine offensively back to his Orlando days, averaging an impressive 20 points, 13 rebounds, and nearly five assists per game in January, all while shooting almost 60% from the field with two made threes per game. The Bulls are 6-2 this month when he's grabbed 13 or more rebounds and often rely on his facilitating from the middle to orchestrate their three-point shooting.
2. Injury Ridden Roster
Remember that while the tide has turned for the better lately, this is also without a full Bulls team. The most gaping void is Lonzo Ball, their "quarterback" on the floor, which was the team's best facilitator, three-point shooter, and on-ball defender a year ago while leading Chicago to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference before his injury. Getting him back would help solve the perimeter defense issue, the last in the NBA three-point shooting numbers, and the lack of an offensive facilitator to the elite scoring options of DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, and catch and shoot abilities of Patrick Williams, Coby White, and Derrick Jones Jr.
Zach Lavine, deservedly so, is getting the majority of the heat following last night's disastrous loss. He shot 0-for-7 from three with six turnovers, four coming inside five minutes to go in a one-score game, fully justifying the fire he's been under the last 24 hours. Since mentioning a few games ago that his hand was "banged up," he's shot 4-for-36 from deep and was asked about it after an incredibly frustrating night offensively.
"I'm playing with a messed up finger on my shooting hand. you can see by the numbers I'm not shooting the ball well from three. I can still get to the cup and shoot free throws and midrange. It's effecting my shot, but it won't keep me from trying to help contribute."
Zach Lavine via @KCJHoop on Twitter
While the toughness and heroic effort to play through injuries are always admirable in a player, there's a line drawn when it directly translates to losses. His 49 three-point attempts before his injury resulted in 25 makes, good for over 50% from three, and should provide hope for a healthy Lavine contributing to a winning team. Considering it is in the middle of the season, and a week break in Paris already showed that a few days off would not help his situation, he should be sat down for the foreseeable future. With Williams' volume shooting translating to wins for Chicago and Vucevic playing at an all-star level the past few weeks, now is the time for Lavine to take the much-needed recovery time. He can then rejoin the roster when he can bring his best quality to the floor, his deep-range shooting.
Javonte Green and Goran Dragic sporadically missing time is not the end of the world for the Bulls, but it certainly has made a difference. With Dragic being one of the more potent three-point shooters on the team and Green being an energetic slashing wing off the bench, Chicago has failed to fill those gaps in their absence, and it's resulted in losses because of it.
3. Window Of Opportunity
The silver lining for Chicago's current state is the upcoming schedule. They are playing their next six games against teams at or under the .500 mark, including four with 18 or fewer wins. Sitting at three games below .500 and only four games from the sixth seed, now is the time to brush the Indiana loss off and focus on the future. Putting together a solid five or six-win streak could convert Chicago from a potential firesale at the deadline to a dangerous contender in weeks. Vucevic knows it is not a lack of talent but the consistency that's missing for the Windy City.
"Honestly, there's not much to be said, we did all the talking. So we've just got to do it or this is where we're going to be."
Nikola Vucevic via @DarnellMayberry on Twitter
While last night's loss was more than a gut punch to all of Chicago, there's still hope. Given the improved record in the last month when relatively healthy, the long-term and short-term injuries that will only help this roster, and the incredibly opportunistic schedule ahead, this Bulls team could turn the embarrassing loss into a sparkplug and never look back. If they don't prevail full-steam ahead, they might not look the same following the February 9th trade deadline.
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