Bulls have gotten slower under Boylen. Are they any better?
Two weeks into Jim Boylen's tenure as Bulls head coach, it's tough to see much progress, unless you count the increase in drama. And it's probably too soon to draw many conclusions.
Boylen's Bulls have gone 2-5 against a tough schedule, with two impressive wins. Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis have just come back from injuries, and now top scorer Zach LaVine has missed two games with an ankle issue and will probably miss several more. Jabari Parker is parked on the bench until further notice.
After a week away from home, the Bulls will play three of their next four at the United Center, beginning Wednesday against Brooklyn.
The numbers tell an ugly story of the past two weeks since Boylen replaced Fred Hoiberg. Boylen has talked about wanting to slow down and play smarter, and he's delivered on that promise.
Since Dec. 4, the Bulls have been the NBA's lowest-scoring team at 93.6 points per game. Memphis and Orlando are the only other teams scoring less than 100 during that time frame.
So they have gotten slower, but smarter, not so much. The Bulls are also worst in the league in turnover percentage. Bewildering passes and unforced errors continue to be an issue.
Boylen also wanted to improve the rebounding and toughness, but that category has also not gone well. The Bulls rank 28th in rebounding percentage (.465) since Boylen took over and last in second-chance points.
"We've just got to take everything we can and learn and grow," Boylen told reporters after Monday's 121-96 loss at Oklahoma City. "We've got to continue working on our poise, not turning it over, make simple plays. We've got a willing group in there. They want to please. They're trying to do the right things, and we just need to play better."
One thing that's gone well is defensive pressure. During the past seven games, the Bulls rank fourth in the league in steals and fifth in forcing turnovers. That part has been a group effort, with seven players averaging at least 1 steal per game, with Justin Holiday leading the way at 1.9.
While the scoring is down, the Bulls haven't slowed the offense to a crawl. They actually rank 21st in pace, which is number of possessions per 48 minutes, and 20th in fast-break points under Boylen.
So while Boylen has changed the style a little bit, most of the Bulls problems are still a product of a young, flawed roster that has been missing key players pretty much all season.
It's fair to say the Bulls' two best wins of the season happened under Boylen's watch. They knocked off OKC at the United Center on Dec. 7 and had a 21-point comeback in San Antonio on Saturday. So they have that going for them.
But the big picture looms over any potential improvement. With a 7-24 record, it makes more sense for the Bulls to eye a bottom-three finish and better odds in the draft lottery than to aim for the top eight in the East.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets, 7 p.m. at the United Center
TV: NBCSCH; Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: Brooklyn probably should be tanking, since it finally gets to keep its first-round draft pick for the first time in a few years. But the Nets had won five in a row heading into Tuesday's home game against the Lakers, including victories over Toronto and Philadelphia. ... With Caris Levert out with an ankle injury, PG D'Angelo Russell is the top scorer at 18.0 ppg, followed by ex-Bulls PG Spencer Dinwiddie at 17.2 ppg. SF Joe Harris is shooting 46 percent from 3-point range. ... The Bulls went 0-3 against the Nets last season.
Next: Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. Friday at the United Center
- Mike McGraw