Chicago Bulls: 5 keys to making the playoffs next year
By Luke Askew
3. Increasing bench production
Rotations get shortened up during the playoffs, but during the regular season, having a deep bench is crucial to sustainable success. Teams looking for one of the 16 playoff spots need to have guys that can play solid minutes when the starters are resting.
In the 2018-19 season, the Bulls’ bench was horrible. They finished 24th in points per game, last in 3-point makes and 29th in plus/minus. A lot of this makes sense. The Bulls’ bench was primarily made up of young guys trying to prove they belong on an NBA roster. It wasn’t a bench that was constructed to be dominant.
That needs to change next season, though, if the Bulls want to make the playoffs.
Chicago needs to go out and get guys that can contribute in meaningful ways off the bench. Maybe the best way to do that is through free agency. Maybe it’s through trades. Maybe they can even find a guy in the second round of the draft to help them out. You know, someone like Kyle Guy or Naz Reid.
It doesn’t matter how they do it, but they need to get it done. Bench depth needs to be a focal point for the Bulls this summer.