Despite not ending with a record over .500, the Chicago Bulls’ defense was well above average. As shown on NBA.com, the Bulls defensive rating was 111.5, which was fifth in the NBA. Essentially, that means that the Bulls was one of the top defenses in the NBA. So, how were they able to maintain their defensive efforts?
Steals
One of the main reasons why the Bulls’ defense was so good was because of their steal numbers. As shown on Sports Illustrated, the Bulls’ steals average and total were within the top 10.
Specifically, the Bulls totaled 644 steals and averaged of 7.9 steals per game, both being 7th in the NBA. This shows that the Bulls hardly gave up on the defensive end and seemed to pride themselves on their defensive efforts.
One of the leaders of these efforts is Alex Caruso. As shown on foxsports.com, Caruso totaled 98 steals and averaged a team-high 1.5 steals per game. He even had a steal percentage of 60%. His efforts even seemed to inspire the defensive efforts of arguable the Bulls’ number 1 offensive weapon: DeMar DeRozan.
In addition to DeRozan great offensive contributions, he also displayed a good steal total and average. As shown, he averaged 1.1 steals per game, totaled 83 steals, and a steal percentage of 30%. Thus, thanks to those efforts, the rest of the team followed suit and the rest was history.
Defensive Rebounding
Another important factor of this Bulls defense was their defensive rebounding. As shown on NBA.com, the Bulls defensive rebounding numbers were also within the top 10. As displayed, the Bulls averaged 33.9 rebounds per game (which was 7th in the league) and a defensive rebound percentage of 73.6% (which was 3rd in the league).
Most of those numbers seem to be due to the efforts of Andre Drummond and Nikola Vucevic. As shown on foxsports.com, Vucevic averaged 9.1 defensive rebounds and a defensive rebound percentage of 30.2%. Drummond averaged 4.6 defensive rebounds and a team high defensive rebound percentage of 40.2%.
Due to these efforts, they were able to stop opponent possessions quickly, giving opponents less chances to score. That only helps the Bulls’ defense, but it helps the Bulls gain more offensive possessions.
Opponent Points
One of the most significant aspects of the Bulls’ defensive efforts seems to be their opponent’s points. As shown on NBA.com, the Bulls seem to have quite a few favorable stats against their opponents.
Specifically, they averaged:
-15.6 opponent points of turnovers (7th in the NBA)
-11.9 second chance opponent points (2nd in the NBA)
-12.9 opponent fast break points (7th in the NBA)
-46.9 opponent points in the paint (4th in the NBA)
Essentially, when it comes to holding their opponents to low-scoring numbers, the Bulls were, at worst, top 10.
Of course, defense is a team effort, but as shown by many of the other specific defensive areas, those efforts usually steam from a player or two. Statistically, the leader defensively seemed to be Zach LaVine. As shown on foxsports.com, LaVine had a defensive rating of 120.7. This was the highest defensive rating out of Bulls players who played significant minutes.
However, the eye-test tells a different story. Although he isn’t a bad defender, he isn’t one of the true leaders on defense end.
One of those “true” defensive leaders is Alex Caruso. Caruso has been with the team a few years and seemed to pick up the defensive slack left from Lonzo’s injury issues. He not only leads the Bulls in steals, but he usually guards the other teams’ best players.
Here are some of his defensive highlights:
As shown, Caruso guards some of the league’s best players, sometimes regardless of position. By the end of those possessions, that player is either taking a tough shot or it’s in Caruso’s hands going the other direction.
The other “true” defensive leader is Patrick Beverley. Like Caruso, Beverley also guards some of the league’s best players but differently.
Here are some of Beverley’s defensive highlights:
As shown, Beverley’s defense is extremely aggressive, matching his overall play. He gave that defense energy to attempt to stop any player in front of him.
It didn’t lead to many wins, but it significantly impacted the Bulls, despite his short time there.
Stay tuned for more NBA content, including midseason moves, contract updates, and more pieces about every team.
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