Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from undermanned loss
Takeaway No. 3: Watching the Bulls shoot from distance is just a painful experience on a nightly basis
It’s no secret that the Bulls are the league’s worst 3-point shooting team. They are averaging 6.4 makes on 20.3 attempts per game this season. Both of those figures are the league’s lowest and that’s not even including their league-low 31.6 percent from 3-point range.
Wednesday night didn’t help matters for the Bulls, who shot a whopping 4-for-24 from behind the arc, including missing 14 of their first 15 attempts.
Nikola Mirotic missed six of his eight attempts, Denzel Valentine missed seven of his eight attempts and the only other Bull to hit a 3-pointer was Jerian Grant, who didn’t have a terrible night like some did in scoring 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting with a trio of assists.
See those shot charts? That’s what the Bulls look like from deep this season.
Here’s a better explanation: Bobby Portis leads the Bulls in 3-point percentage of anyone on the roster this season. He takes less than a 3-pointer per game (0.7) and is making 38.5 of his triples this season. That’s the highest percentage on the entire team with no qualifications.
That’s how bad the Bulls are at shooting from long range. You can’t not make 3-pointers in this league and expect to win. It’s just the way it is now.
Next: Bulls vs. Warriors: Our instant analysis of the 123-92 defeat in Oakland
And, if you miss 20 of 24 3-pointers against the team that has taken over the NBA in recent years with their dominant shooting, you’re going to have a bad time.