The Bulls have to hope that slow starts don’t become a trend, but after falling behind early in Wednesday’s 102-99 win against the Magic, the Bulls rebounded and took their first lead in the game in the third quarter after a Josh Giddey three-pointer.
The Bulls’ three-point heavy shot selection is high variance. When shots aren’t falling, the Bulls can dig themselves in a hole like in the first quarter. But when shots are falling, they quickly erase a deficit like they did Wednesday.
“If we stick with our pace and play the whole game, eventually it’ll break through for us on the offensive end,” guard Zach LaVine said.
LaVine, who shot 2-for-9 from the field with 11 points, said the Bulls need to “keep playing with the same force.”
This Bulls team is at their best when they’re playing off each other and letting plays develop. While coming back from deficits is impressive for a young team, the Bulls have to figure out how to not get into those deficits. The Magic outscored the Bulls 62-52 in the first half, but the Bulls rallied in the second half, outscoring the Magic by 13 and shot 38.2% from three for the game.
“We got a bunch of competitors in this locker room,” forward Patrick Williams said. “That shows through the way that we play. [The Bulls] got to get back to the drawing board on why are we getting in these deficits in the first place. What are things that we’re doing in the second half, that we’re not doing in the first half?”
‘We don’t run, we’re done’
The Bulls have made it an emphasis to play an up-tempo style to compensate for their lack of size. The strategy was made to modernize their offensive approach, but also because of necessity.
“We don’t run, we’re done,” coach Billy Donovan said. “It’s that simple. If we run, we’ll have some fun. We have to understand what we have to do to win, and we have to do that.”
But launching threes and playing at the league’s fastest offense requires the team to be committed to defensive rebounding and limiting turnovers. Playing fast and smart is a difficult balancing act.
“That gives us the best opportunity,” Donovan said of playing in transition. “That’s not to sit there and say that half the game is going to have to be in the half-court. It’s going to happen. We just got to execute and do that, but when we have the opportunity to run, we need to do that.”
Developing Buzelis
Forward Matas Buzelis’ development is high on the priority list for the Bulls this season, and for good reason. At just 19, his potential is immense with his physical gifts. But that aptitude hasn’t led to a consistent role in the rotation.
Buzelis has played a total of 28 minutes over five games, but hasn’t found a role. The Bulls speak glowingly of his talent level, but game-to-game consistency will be key for Buzelis if he wants to carve out a role.
“Part of his development and growth is learning how competitively and how hard he needs to play on every possession,” Donovan said. “If he’s playing well, you can extend him some minutes.”