Can it last? Here are three reasons for the Bulls’ fast start

The Bulls are bound to have some humbling moments over the next couple of week, thanks to a rough schedule.

Have there been enough positive signs to believe their reign as the NBA's most surprising team will continue past Thanksgiving? Maybe even to February and beyond?

Hard to tell, since Coby White and Zach Collins have yet to play. This group could still get to a higher level, in theory.

Here's a look at what has gone well so far. It also counts as reasons for optimism in the months ahead:

The 5, 6 effect

Sure 6-7 is all the rage right now, but the 5-6 Club has been essential to the Bulls' early success.

What that means is a large percentage of the Bulls production is coming from players in either their fifth or sixth NBA seasons. The group includes Josh Giddey, Isaac Okoro, Ayo Dosunmu, Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams and Tre Jones.

White is beginning his seventh season, but he was a top-30 player in the 2018 high school class, just like Jones, Smith, Dosunmu and a couple former Bulls, Devon Dotson and Simi Shittu.

These guys are all at a point in their careers where they're starting to figure things out, and it shows. The Bulls have been better than expected defensively, No. 11 in defensive rating after Friday's loss to Milwaukee.

The addition of Okoro has helped on that end, but defensive success is also a matter of buying in and following a plan. That's how team defense can be greater than the sum of the parts. The 5-6 Club has realized what it takes to win games.

The only younger player logging heavy minutes is Matas Buzelis, but he's shown an uncanny basketball IQ since joining the Bulls. His feel for doing the right things on the court has been excellent and should only improve.

Nikola Vucevic, 35, and Jevon Carter, 30, are the lone players on the roster who have completed their third decade in life, so there's also plenty of energy to expend on the fast-paced style.

Modern times

This Bulls roster fits well into the analytics-based modern NBA, where the most coveted shots are layups and corner 3-pointers.

They are at a point where all five players on the court can knock down a 3-pointer, while most can get to the rim and either finish or kick it over to the corner.

Coach Billy Donovan was asked Friday about the Bulls actually dropping their dependence on 3-point shooting. Last season, they were fifth in the league in percentage of shots taken from 3-point range at .457. This year, it's dropped to .389.

Donovan said he's not concerned because the Bulls have gotten more layups and free throws. The free throw improvement is modest. They've gone from 19.7 attempts per game last season to 22.8 — still bottom five in the league.

The bottom line is efficiency. The Bulls rank sixth in the NBA right now with a .571 effective field-goal percentage. That category could get better with the return of White, one of the best at getting to the rim.

Star power

This part was on display last season. Once he became the focal point of the Bulls offense, Giddey put up incredible numbers. and nothing has changed.

He's averaging 9.8 assists — tied for second in the NBA behind Nikola Jokic — and 9.6 rebounds, most by any guard. That's in addition to averaging 22.3 points and shooting 41.7% from 3-point range.

Since he first landed in Oklahoma City, Giddey has been one of the most unusual players in the league and a matchup nightmare as a 6-foot-8 point guard with the quickness to blow past most defenders. Now that he's added a 3-point shot, he appears to be among the NBA's elite guards.

Buzelis is making nice strides in his second season. In many ways he's a taller version of Giddey, with a fluid athleticism rarely seen in players his size. Foul trouble has gotten the best of him a few times, but he's averaging 15.5 points and shooting 41% from long range.

White could fit into this category as well, since his numbers improved two years in a row when Zach LaVine left the lineup.

None of this should be a complete surprise. It's all been written here before, but now there's some visual proof that this season could be worth watching.