Chicago Bulls’ Transition Offense Will Struggle Again This Season
By Paul Steeno
The additions of Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo will do little to improve a Chicago Bulls offense that finished 28th in the NBA in fastbreak points per game last season.
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Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg stresses an efficient transition attack as a cornerstone to his offensive philosophy. Unfortunately, the 2015-16 version of the Chicago Bulls was anything but efficient in transition.
The Chicago Bulls averaged 10.2 fastbreak points per game last season, which was 28th best in the NBA. The team finished 23rd in the NBA in fastbreak frequency, recording such a play on only 11.7 percent of their total plays. The Bulls also tied the Los Angeles Lakers for last in the NBA in points per possession on fastbreak opportunities.
The recent additions of Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo will make it difficult for the Bulls to improve upon these numbers next season.
At 34 years old, Wade is entering the twilight years of his NBA career. He has sustained several major injuries during his 13 years in the NBA, including a surgery on his left knee prior to the 2012-13 season. He also suffered chronic hamstring issues during his last two seasons with the Miami Heat.
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Wade’s transition statistics last season reflect the effects of his aging body. It is difficult to operate efficiently in transition when a player can’t move as quickly or as effectively as they did when they were younger. Wade ranked 53rd in the NBA in transition points per possession (1.045) out of 72 players with at least 150 transition possessions last season.
The declining effectiveness of Wade’s “Eurostep” is a major reason for his poor transition play last season. Teams have become keen at defending this move and Wade doesn’t have the quickness anymore to execute it efficiently.
Rajon Rondo also struggled in transition last year.
Despite leading the NBA in assists per game last season, Rondo’s stellar passing didn’t carry over to his transition game. His 38.2 percent transition turnover rate put him at dead last in this category out of 72 players with at least 150 transition possessions last season. Rondo averaged 0.67 points per transition possession last season. This number was the fourth worse among all NBA players that played at least 50 games.
During the 2012-13 season, Rondo suffered a torn ACL. His activity on both sides of the ball has been hampered ever since. Like Wade, the effects of this injury can be seen through his poor play in transition.
The one good thing about Rondo in terms of his transition game is the frequency in which he induces a fastbreak chance. Last season, he got his team into transition on 19.8 percent of possessions. Even if Rondo’s presence allows the Bulls to get into transition more often, this doesn’t do much good if the team can’t convert transition opportunities into points.
Hoiberg’s emphasis on transition offense may go by the wayside because two of his most high usage players haven’t shown competency in this facet of the game.
While fastbreak frequency and efficiency aren’t the most important components of a successful NBA team, the Bulls would like to see drastic improvement in both categories because transition offense is an element that their coach stresses.
Wade and Rondo’s deficiencies in transition highlight an overarching theme of the summer. The Bulls’ front office has equipped Hoiberg with players who don’t fit the offensive system he has tried to implement in Chicago.
It is difficult to envision a scenario where the Bulls offense clicks next season. The contrasting styles between different players on the roster and the coach seems to foreshadow an impending disaster. The Bulls’ fastbreak offense will likely still be a disaster next season even if Hoiberg figures out how to fit his different roster pieces together.
(Stats via BBALLBREAKDOWN)