The Bulls are definitely the biggest dark horse of the season, after getting DeRozan, the Bulls are currently in fifth place in the East with a record of 41 wins and 29 losses, if there is no accident, the Bulls will be firmly in the playoffs this season, but with the current configuration of the Bulls, it is difficult to break through in the playoffs. Originally thought the Bulls had completed the rebuild, but now it seems that they are still a long way from winning the championship, according to statistics so far this season, the Bulls have won 0-15 against the top three teams in the East and West, and the Bulls' record against strong teams is dismal enough, 0-3 Heat, 0-3 76ers, 0-2 Bucks, 0-1 Suns, 0-2 Warriors, 0-2 Grizzlies. Even though DeRozan played his best season, the Bulls were still a little immature in the game, and the team's configuration was not at the top level like the Bucks.
DeRozan's season can be considered the best season of his career, averaging 27.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists so far this season, which is deRozan's career-high scoring average, he let himself play extremely simple and efficient games, he is also among the MVP discussions, but don't forget that DeRozan has not been good in the previous playoffs. Of course, at this time, DeRozan naturally can not be compared with the past, he is more experienced, his handling on the court is more pure, and the Spurs have also improved his organizational ability, the most critical DeRozan now has a richer arsenal than before, although his three-point production is small, but DeRozan is indeed better than the previous three-point grasp, less production but high quality. Even so, we'd like to put a question mark on DeRozan's performance in the playoffs, which won't be like the regular season, and DeRozan hasn't had a very iconic playoff trip yet.
The Bulls' recent losing streak can certainly be attributed to injuries, they have lost too many important rotation players, Ball, Caruso, Patrick Williams are all injured, even LaVine has been plagued by injuries, the Bulls have lost their two most important outside defenders, Ball and Caruso are very important for the Bulls, especially considering that the Bulls' interior defense itself is not very good, which is why they want to add Tristan Thompson. The Bulls are a team that relies heavily on offense, their figure in the fourth and fifth positions has always been very poor, before the 2m 03 Pavey has been in the top four position, after the injury of the Bulls' fourth position has mainly become Jones Jr., even DeRozan, Bauer, Caruso sometimes need to top a big opponent, even 1m 93 Javent Green has become the main force of the team's third position.
The Bulls relied on offense to play the league's seventh offensive efficiency of 112.8, but their defense was only 19th in the league, and their offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds were at the lower and middle level in the league. Even though Caruso and Bauer are very good defensive players, their return will bring some help to the team, but these two can not help the team to become an elite level of defensive team, after all, their core DeRozan and Vucevic are not well-known defensive players. Even though Tristan Thompson has been added, the help TT can bring is very limited, his offensive means are scarce, and TT's rebounding ability is weakening with age, and his defensive efficiency ranks last in the league. So defense will be the first hurdle that will prevent the Bulls from moving forward in the playoffs.
Look at the Bucks, Suns, Warriors, Heat, these strong teams, they are all extremely balanced offensive and defensive teams, and these teams also have a common feature, their interior line is very talented big men, Adebayo, Alphabet Brother, Ayton, Portis and other players are bulls headache players, they do not have enough manpower and enough size players to solve these problems. Not to mention the West, if the Bulls can enter the second round, then they will inevitably face Philadelphia, bucks, Cavaliers, heat one of them, facing Embiid, Adebayo, Alphabet Brother, Mobley Bulls how to solve it? Vucevic's defensive performance in the regular season has been bad, his value is more reflected in the offensive end than in defense, he is a very skilled European big man, and Bradley and TT have limited help in the playoffs, which is the weakest link in the Bulls playoffs now.
In addition to the defensive end of the bias, the offensive end of the Bulls is not like these strong teams have absolute strong points, the Bucks have a letter brother can reach the inside line with free throws to score, the Heat have Butler, and the Bulls' system on the offensive end is very simple, is to rely on the strongest ball carrier to create their own opportunities to solve the problem, why the Bulls can now play the seventh offensive efficiency in the league, is because DeRozan and LaVinne have played extremely efficient this season. But as the playoffs increase defensive intensity, can DeRozan and LaVine remain productive? When the bulls can stand up? The Bulls are now extremely dependent on the stars, DeRozan, Ravin and Vucevic are not very good players in the playoffs, and this season's record against strong teams is dismal, which also indicates that the future will not be optimistic in the playoffs.
A team that does not have absolute strength in attack and defense, in the face of a more balanced overall strength of the team to lose is a natural result, the Bulls this season want to compete for the championship there is still a long way to go, in the playoff environment is the real test of the team's success. Despite the Bulls' outstanding performance at the beginning of the season, the game after the End of All-Star Weekend is the most difficult period, and they are the second in the league in the number of teams with a winning percentage of more than 50 percent in the next schedule, and the current situation is not optimistic. To be honest, the Bulls have exceeded many people's expectations this season, no one will list the Bulls in the strong team at the beginning of the season, but now it is not only the Bulls who have become a playoff team, DeRozan has also completed the rebirth, no matter how the Bulls end this season, they have been very successful this season, winning the championship requires more than just a season of running-in, of course, do not rule out the possibility of the Bulls becoming a dark horse again in the playoffs.