The Chicago Bulls are back at the same spot they were last season-without Derrick Rose. Many questions are circling as to what they should do now. Nevertheless, let's do an early season review.
Stats:
26th in points per game at 92.3
19th in assists per game at 20.8
2nd in rebounds per game with 46.5
3rd in points allowed with 91.8
Starting Lineup
PG Kirk Hinrich: 8.1 ppg, 4.9 apg,
SG Tony Snell: 3.1 ppg, 0.8 ppg
SF Loul Deng: 17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.4 apg
PF Carlos Boozer: 16.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg
C Joakim Noah: 9.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg
Sixth Man Taj Gibson: 10.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Thumbs Up:
The Bulls will always be able to play defense and the stats show it. Tom Thibodeau is a defensive genius - so even with the loss of his superstar and a strong defensive player like Jimmy Butler, the Bulls are going to stay in many games. Also, the Bulls make an effort to stay within themselves offensively. Since they don't have Derrick Rose they rely on ball movement, post play and timely jumpshots.
Thumbs Down:
While the Bulls deserve credit for playing conservatively on the offensive end, their offense is still the primary weakness. The stats show it - the Bulls are near the bottom of the league in points. If Chicago is down by a large deficit they may struggle to make up the difference. The Bulls might not need a superstar but they are in desperate need of a pure scorer at the guard position. A pure scorer combined with the Bulls stingy defense could very much help Thibs' team solidify themselves as one of the top three teams in the east.
