Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

The Chicago Bulls head into 2020 with their playoff hopes alive

By Luke Askew

ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 23: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls grabs the rebound against the Orlando Magic on December 23, 2019 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 23: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls grabs the rebound against the Orlando Magic on December 23, 2019 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Chicago Bulls have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season, but somehow their playoff hopes are very much alive.

Thanks to a staggeringly weak bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls still have a really good chance of making the playoffs. 34 games into the season, they’re only 1.5 games out of the eighth seed.

The top six teams in the Eastern Conference are bona fide good teams. The Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are all going to remain in the top six barring some sort of disaster. The final two seeds, though, are totally up for grabs.

Brooklyn is currently in the seventh seed, sitting at 16-16, but they haven’t looked good. All it would take is a small losing streak, and they could be supplanted by a number of teams in the hunt.

Similarly, Orlando is currently in the eighth seed but has shown next to no signs of life with a dismal 14-19 record.

Before the season started, a lot of people thought the Bulls would be in the hunt for one of the final playoff spots in the East, but did anyone think that would be the case after the first few weeks of the season? They were abominable in October and November.

Thanks to a tolerable December, though, the Bulls still find themselves with something to play for heading into 2020.

Areas that need improvement

The Bulls’ defense has been pretty good. They force an insane amount of turnovers and make things tough for opposing offenses, but they need to do a better job of turning that defense into offense. Right now, the Bulls have a 103.7 offensive rating. That’s 29th in the association. If the offense doesn’t improve, the Bulls won’t sniff the playoffs.

One way the Bulls can help get their offense to an acceptable level is by getting to the free-throw line more. Chicago is currently in the bottom third of the league in free-throw attempts per game, despite having one of the better rim-attackers in the league in Zach LaVine and a nice frontcourt duo in Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr.

The Bulls absolutely have to do a better job of attacking the basket aggressively, going up strong and drawing fouls.

Another area the Bulls need to improve in is wing play. Without Otto Porter Jr. or Chandler Hutchison healthy, the Bulls have been using a lot of three-guard lineups. That just isn’t going to cut it.

Kris Dunn has been solid this season, but he’s way more valuable as an energy guy off the bench, not a starter. The Bulls need to evaluate the health and future of Porter and Hutchison and then decide if they should go wing shopping at the deadline.

Next. Love/hate list from the final loss of 2019. dark

If all goes according to plan, the Bulls will improve in 2020 and find themselves with at least four games of playoff basketball. I’m not confident in their ability to improve, but I’m also not confident that other struggling teams in the East are any better. The eighth seed could easily wind up with a measly 38 wins. Yikes.

Home/Bulls News