Chicago Bulls: A ‘State of The Team’ address one third into the season

The Chicago Bulls are a third of the way through the season. They continue to get beat up on the defensive boards, shoot the ball poorly and be out played down the stretch.

The Chicago Bulls envisioned this year would be a step forward for promising young players, most notably Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter. They brought in Otto Porter, Thad Young and Tomas Satoransky as veteran leadership, drafted scorer Coby White and rim defender Daniel Gafford. Unfortunately though, man plans and God laughs.

LaVine’s stats have dipped in practically every offensive category and he has not fixed his high turnover rate. Markkanen has disappeared completely at times having regressed in scoring and rebounds. Wendell has been inconsistent, showing toughness under the offensive boards, yet passing up open looks from ten feet away.

The highly compensated supporting crew appears no better. Otto Porter has been a $28 million dollar investment on “inactive” status. Satoransky is getting paid $10 million as a starter but his numbers more resemble a backup. Thad Young, earning $12.9 million, has played better of late but giving him more minutes means taking away further from Lauri’s growth and probably confidence.

The rookies also have been hard to figure.

White won a couple of games getting red-hot from beyond the arc but his overall shooting has been disappointing. He has not matched the 35.3 percent three-point shooting he displayed at North Carolina though he is rebounding well and bringing wonderful energy to the defensive end.

It is hard to imagine him though as the point guard of the future. He repeatedly gets his shot blocked when driving to the hoop. Between him and Satoransky, it is not clear how John Paxson addressed the point guard position as he promised he would.

The one-off season addition that has pleasantly surprised is Gafford who only started seeing time fourteen games into the season. Starting with his strong performance in Summer League, he has been a force in the paint blocking shots and dunking off pick and rolls. His biggest challenge has been staying out of foul trouble, the same issue Carter dealt with as a rookie big in the NBA.

So, who would have thought twenty-one games into the season, the two players from last years roster that have unexpectedly performed well would be Kris Dunn, and Denzel Valentine?

Dunn is among the NBA leaders in steals while playing only 21.8 minutes a game. Many are calling for him to get consideration for NBA all defensive team.

Valentine, who did not see regular time on the floor until game eighteen, now averages 19.7 points 6 rebounds and 4 assists, per 36 minutes. His calm demeanor, and excellent court vision, have vastly improved the second unit. His chemistry with Gafford is magical.