Temple thinks Bulls have personnel to be good defensive squad
Garrett Temple used the 40-14 third-quarter advantage against New Orleans on Wednesday as proof the Bulls can be a good defensive team.
That's quite a stretch at the moment. Heading into Friday's action, the Bulls ranked 27th in points allowed, 24th in opponent's field-goal percentage and 23rd in defensive rating.
A few weeks ago, though, the Bulls were bottom three in each of those categories, so maybe Temple's argument has merit.
"We have great defensive potential," Temple said. "We have guards that can defend. Coby (White) has really good feet. Zach (LaVine) is obviously probably the most athletic guy in the NBA. It's just a matter of focusing and paying attention to details.
"Me and Thad (Young) harped on that actually at the beginning of the game against New Orleans about the little things, attention to detail, the things that we saw on film, being at a certain spot on the court to where you don't have to make two moves to get to your closeout."
The Bulls' young starting lineup has not been good defensively, but the team has done better with veterans like Temple, Young and Otto Porter on the floor.
"I could get real technical on this, but we have the physical tools, it's a matter of just putting in the work, watching film and understanding exactly what we need to do at the defensive end technically to do it," Temple said. "You know, Daniel Gafford right now is great at protecting the rim. We've got guys that can guard the ball. It's just a matter of actually doing the things we need to do and carrying them out."