NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Chicago Bulls are definitely a team to watch this season. With the additions of DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball, the Bulls find themselves with somewhat of a Big 4. But how will it all work? Will they be able to defend, move the ball properly, and who will they trust in tight situations?
Those are the questions the Brooklyn Nets dealt with last season.
A slew of talented offensive players but they lack much on the defensive side of the court. However, that’s not what we’re here to discuss. The issue the Bulls will face is shot selections. Who is the main guy here?
While the nod should likely go to Zack LaVine due to his time with the Bulls, that may not be the case. LaVine is an All-Star and has age on his side. But should he be the closing option? Nikola Vucevic has proven he can handle the weight as he once did with the Orlando Magic but he’s not a true closer either. Ball is still searching for his footing after spending time with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.
So, with that core of scorers on the floor together at the end of the game, the ball needs must find the hands of DeRozan. Neither player has a title attached to their name but DeRozan has the playoff and tight game resume to warrant the closet title for the Bulls.
Nevertheless, the Bulls must now find a way to get everyone their proper touches well before the last few seconds are left in a tight game. For his career, DeRozan has averaged 15.7 shot attempts per game. Vucevic has averaged 14.6 shots. Ball is averaging 11.1 shots, and LaVine comes in with an average of 15.
Between the four main players, that’s a total of 57 shot attempts. Last season, the Bulls averaged 88.6 shot attempts per game. Winning will come down to ball distribution. The Bulls must find a way to win as a team and eliminate the thought of any kind of iso-ball.
Ball movement is the key to championships. As often as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson hoist threes, the Golden State Warriors knew when to swing the ball or to find a slasher attacking the basket.
As great as offensively as DeRozan, LaVine, and Vucevic are, success will fall on the shoulders of Ball.
Ball, for his career, has averaged 6.4 assists per game. To his defense, he has never had this type of offensive firepower surrounding him. But can he bring it all together? Ball began his career as a terrible shooter from deep. But last season, he improved to .378 percent from .305 his rookie season in 2017. If he can continue to hit at the clip or even better, this will open the floor for rim attacking by DeRozan and LaVine. If they can get going and draw defenses in, that will put Vucevic in the paint with a single defender.
The Chicago Bulls are taking criticism regarding their roster due to their lack of defensive stoppers. But does that matter if they can’t be stopped themselves? As awful as the Nets were on the defensive side last season, what stopped them from reaching the Finals was health.
The Chicago Bulls are just as talented. Their issue will be learning to share the ball. If they can manage that, there’s no telling where they could end up come June.
