NBA training camps can be a hotbed of broad themes and philosophical adjustments.
For this year’s Chicago Bulls, the mission statement for offensive improvement comes down to one word.
“I think it’s just going to be a little more random,” Zach LaVine said when asked to describe the team’s new offensive principles after practice Saturday. “Being in different places other than last year where the teams knew exactly where we were and could set up the defense every game.”
By definition, the concept of randomness is difficult to extract from details. So perhaps it’s best to think of him as an antonym of whoever described the Bulls’ offense in the long stretch of the 2021-22 season.
Stagnant. Predictable. One-dimensional. Make your choice.
Such an ecosystem did not develop out of thin air. Injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have hampered the Bulls’ ability to force turnovers and ramp up their offensive offense in transition — two fundamental aspects of their early-season identity. LaVine, who had knee issues himself in mid-January, shifted responsibility for creating the team’s perimeter shots in the half court to DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan, to his credit, ran with the opportunity. He drilled buzzer beaters, had a scoring streak untouched even by Wilt Chamberlain, and climbed the tipsters’ midseason MVP rankings. All while keeping the Bulls afloat during the scorching days of the season.
But what head coach Billy Donovan has long warned is that DeRozan’s greatness — exciting as it is — conceals offensive flaws that need to be addressed for his team to take the next step. Mainly in the ball and player movement departments.
“From the bench as a coach you have a group of guys trying to come into this game and trying to win – and you’re trying to put them in a situation to win. And there’s no doubt that ‘there were times when DeMar rolled it and we just kept going,” Donovan said. “And I’m not saying that was the bad thing. But my thing is, if you look at the big picture, is this going to be sustainable and effective for us against these really, really elite teams, both East and West? really hard to live like that.”
Last season it was. The Bulls finished 2-21 against the top four teams in each conference and, according to Cleaning the Glass, had the 25th-highest point differential in the league (-11.6) against teams with top-10 point differentials. (That mark was arguably more attributable to their 29th-ranked defense against the top 10 opponents — a conversation for another day — but the Bulls were also 17th on offense.)
Donovan also pointed to the Bulls’ poor record in close games against the NBA’s elite, and it’s true; the Bulls finished last season 25-16 in “clutch” games, defined by NBA.com as contests within a five-point margin with five minutes or less left in the fourth quarter. But they were just 1-8 in “clutch” games against the top four teams in each conference — 24-8 against everyone else.
“I’ve said it before and people might not want to acknowledge it, and I’ve told our team about it. You take two of DeMar’s shots (on the road) – the one in Washington and the one against the ‘Indiana – we’re in the qualifying tournament,” Donovan said. “That’s how close and fragile it is.
So what needs to be changed?
Whenever asked, Donovan has publicly implored his team to fight for a few mainstays. He wants the Bulls to make the fast break as much as possible and, in the half court, play with the tempo. He wants the floor to be spaced five apart to start possessions to free up traffic and cutting lanes. And he wants his players to make quick decisions with the basketball and move freely without it, moving from action to action instead of getting bogged down after, say, an initial pick-and-roll.
The Bulls finished last season ranked 13th on offense, averaging 112.7 points per 100 possessions. But in 23 break games after the All-Stars, they ranked 25th (110.7 of 100 points) and finished the campaign near the bottom of the league in a few procedural categories that Donovan hopes to change: 27th in percentage. attendance, 24th in readers. per game and 27th from the field forward per game – all areas that Donovan often points to as ways to generate quality shot attempts from the rim and from 3 points.
Last season, according to Cleaning the Glass, the Bulls ranked 15th in rate of shots taken from the rim, 30th in rate of shots taken on 3, and second in rate of shots taken from mid-range (which can be largely self-created).
“It’s really hard to generate a good offense without having bits of paint,” Donovan said. “And we have to try to find opportunities, randomly, to make it happen.”
Donovan’s message took root after the team’s first week of training camp — or the first phase of setup.
“Free flow. Quick reads. For isolation, one on one players, we’re going to get a few of those shots. It’s part of our game. But quick reads. Quick decisions,” LaVine said when asked. asked to describe the Bulls’ offense “The ball should pop from side to side. Being able to use different players in different places. We’re not just going to be stuck on the sideline doing a pick and roll or rolling it into the post. The ball at the top of the key with me isolated and everyone looking at me.
“Will there be things like this from time to time? Yes, it’s basketball. And I think we have a lot more random games where it cuts and moves and flips the ball and things like that.
Communication will also be essential. Donovan mentioned that he appreciated having LaVine, DeRozan and Nikola Vučević give him feedback after the dust settled at the end of last season.
“Be responsible and receive constructive criticism. I think that’s what we need to do a little better with, top to bottom, the coaching staff included,” LaVine said. “I think we’ve gotten better with that, and being able to hear and see the adjustments and trying to take it all in stride and being able to adjust it and get it into game shape.”
These concepts will likely take time to sink in on the pitch, even for a group that has emphasized continuity since last year’s trade deadline. And that will require buy-in and trust from the top down.
The goal is to be more unpredictable and less reliant on a hard shot – or, in Donovan’s words, more durable.
“We have about the same staff as last year. We know what our strengths are, we know what we do well, so we don’t try to stray too far from them,” LaVine said. “But I think the adjustments are going to help us throughout the season not to try to have so many heroic games day after day.”
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