Bulls-Magic: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly From Sunday Night’s Win

Nov 1, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Orlando Magic guard Shabazz Napier (13) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago won 92-87. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Bad

• Derrick Rose is seeing a lot right now, but one thing he’s not seeing is a rise in his scoring production. The former MVP did dish out eight assists last night and quietly grabbed seven rebounds, but he shot 2-for-8 from the floor. There were times where he was seemingly a ghost on the floor. It’s not fair to criticize him harshly after the eye injury and just four games (plus a single preseason run of 10 minutes), but the Bulls need his offense to take a big step as he gets healthier.
  • Side Note: It’s not all bad for Rose. He understands that he needs to become a facilitator and that was made clear after the game last night when he told reporters, “I want to play this way. This league forced me to be a scorer.” Maybe Fred Hoiberg is showing Rose more tape of what stellar point guard Monte Morris did in his system last season for Iowa State.

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• Here’s how the Bulls have shot from the field as a team in the season’s first four games:
  • 42.5 percent vs. Cleveland (7-of-19 from three-point territory).
  • 53.8 percent vs. Brooklyn (14-of-28 from three-point territory).
  • 40.5 percent vs. Detroit (7-of-22 from three-point territory).
  • 37.9 percent vs. Orlando (7-of-28 from three-point territory).

The Bulls are somehow fifth(!) in Hollinger’s defensive efficiency category through four games, but they’re 20th(?) in the offensive efficiency category. For a team that’s supposed to be lighting things up offensively, the Bulls sure haven’t done that in the first week. But, once again, the Bulls have played four games. It’s a minuscule sample size, but the numbers aren’t any less weird because of the size.

Through their 3-1 start, the Bulls are 15th in the NBA in terms of field goal percentage as a team. They are sixth in the NBA in terms of three-point field goal percentage, while being tied for 14th in attempts taken per game. The numbers and percentages aren’t completely awful, but for the Bulls to become one of the league’s elite-tier teams, they’re going to have to make more shots. (I know that’s not elite-level analysis, but I hope you understand the bigger picture).

The defense has been satisfactory overall in the early going (despite not necessarily playing against great offenses), but it’s the offense that’s going to need to catch up.

Next: The Ugly: Blowing double-digit leads in the 4th?