Keeping free throws in their favor a tough task for Bulls
Will the top spot in the Eastern Conference be decided at the free-throw line?
It's seemed that way for the Bulls lately. During their five-game losing streak, they faced a minus -47 deficit in free throws made and minus-58 in free throws attempted.
When the Bulls snapped the skid in Detroit on Wednesday, they outscored the Pistons 31-13 at the foul line in a 6-point victory. DeMar DeRozan talked about his attitude toward free throws after the game.
"Whether I have an off night or an on night, it feels the same to me, meaning I don't let an off-night bother me and get me down or make me second-guess anything," he said. "My only issue is when I don't get to the free-throw line.
"That's my biggest thing that I looked at more than anything. I don't care if I have an off shooting night, it's always just about me being aggressive. I go off my free throw attempts more than anything."
DeRozan hit 12 of 13 free throws at Detroit. On the season, he ranks fifth in the league in getting to the line, averaging 8 attempts per game, behind Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Jimmy Butler.
Zach Lavine ranks 33rd on the list with 5 free-throw attempts per game. The next Bulls player on the list is newcomer Tristan Thompson with 2.2 per game, then Alex Caruso at 2.1. Nikola Vucevic and Coby White average 1.7 free throws attempts, which rank roughly 196th in the NBA. It's obvious why it helps to have the ball in DeRozan's hands late in games.
"We just haven't been aggressive," DeRozan said of the Bulls' recent free-throw deficit. "We've been putting a lot of teams on the free-throw line, get them in rhythm, get them easy buckets, and we've kind of been shying away from that. One thing me and Zach talked about was being more aggressive, trying to get downhill and get to the free-throw line and it showed."
Getting to the foul line isn't an automatic path to victory. The NBA team leaders in free throws per game are actually the Houston Rockets, who have the league's second-worst record. The 28-38 Knicks are second, Sacramento is fifth.
The Bulls rank 20th in free-throw attempts with 21.2 per game, ahead of Boston and Miami. In free throws allowed, the Bulls are middle of the pack. Since they shoot a good percentage, the Bulls are actually slightly behind in net free throws attempts and slightly ahead in net free throws made.
Quality of competition played an obvious role in the Bulls' losing streak. They don't match up well with bigger, physical teams like the 76ers and Bucks. On the other hand, there's no excuse for being outscored at the foul line 24-6 by Atlanta last week.
There's also NBA tradition at play here. Once a team gains a reputation for being strong defensively or is a recent champion, it typically gets the benefit of the doubt from the referees. That was obvious when the Bucks were at the United Center last week. Antetokounmpo played like a Battling Top, to reference an old board game, seeking out contact and drawing fouls more often than not.
If the Bulls land a matchup like that in the playoffs, they'll have their work cut out. Their lack of height and physicality will obviously be a postseason disadvantage. The best option is to improve their seed during the final 16 games of the regular season and not count on DeRozan alone to draw fouls.
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