Bulls struggle to conquer changing chemistry
Adding a player doesn't always mean leveling up as a team.
The Bulls' five-game losing streak can be attributed mostly to a tougher schedule, but they're also clearly struggling with a changing chemistry.
Before the break, while Zach LaVine was resting a sore knee, DeMar DeRozan settled in as the No. 1 option and set a new NBA standard for efficient scoring. Nikola Vucevic was playing off him well. Coby White got white-hot from 3-point range while in the starting lineup and getting some early shots.
After the break, not only did LaVine return, but the Bulls signed Tristan Thompson and White went back to being a reserve. The results haven't been great.
And they'll have to do it again in the coming weeks when Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams and Lonzo Ball return from injuries - probably in that order and likely one at a time.
"It's always challenging for change," White said. "We've been dealing with it all year. To be honest, you're crazy to think we're gong to smooth sail the whole season. You've got to go through some adversity and we've got to get out of it.
"We're not the only team in the league that's struggling right now. We've got to snap out of it. At the end of it, it ain't going to do nothing but make us better and stronger as individuals and as a team."
Caruso, Williams and Ball returned to Chicago after joining the team in Philadelphia on Monday. The hope is Caruso will be cleared for full-contact practice by Friday and return to game action shortly after. The Bulls host Cleveland on Saturday, then head out for a three-game western trip next week. Williams, who hasn't played since Oct. 28, is tougher to predict, but could be cleared at any time. Ball likely needs a couple more weeks in his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery.
"They've all got to relearn how to play with each other," coach Billy Donovan said. "There's just going to be some time."
The Bulls went from using Thompson as the backup center, to starting him at power forward against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee, to starting him at center in Monday's loss to the 76ers, because Vucevic sat out with a right hamstring strain.
Donovan doesn't think the Vucevic injury is a long-term issue, but the medical staff also doesn't want it to become a more serious concern. He's listed as questionable for Wednesday's game in Detroit.
On paper, things don't look so bad. In the six games since the all-star break, DeRozan is averaging 26.7 points and shooting 44.4% from the field. He and LaVine are both averaging better than 5 assists.
DeRozan has been good, but he's understandably slipped a bit since his NBA-record run of eight-straight games of scoring 35 points while shooting better than 50%. It's accurate to say the Bucks' Jrue Holiday did a good job on defense, but against the 76ers, DeRozan was missing shots he's made with regularity all season.
"DeMar's numbers during that stretch were remarkable," Donovan said. "But then you start to bring back people, not only are they being integrated back to the team, but they're trying to find their rhythm, because they've been out a period of time. Then you're all having to relearn each other again."
White might be the biggest X-factor for the Bulls if he can heat up from 3-point range. He's shooting an even 40% since the break.
"I just think we've got to find a rhythm again," White said." We have so many people coming in and out during the season, we're dealing with injuries and COVID and all of the above, but it comes with it. It's life and it's also basketball, so we've got to figure out a way to all mesh together and get rolling again."
The Bulls are 3-0 against Detroit this season, but two of those wins happened in the first week of the season. The Pistons have won six of their last eight games, with Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk healthy again, rookie Cade Cunningham figuring things out and Marvin Bagley III on board after a trade from the Kings.
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