3) Takeaways from Chicago Bulls group scrimmage: The ball movement was sharp
I have not seen the Bulls move the ball this well since Joakim Noah was running point-center in the mid 2010’s. The Bulls finished 23rd in the league with 23.2 assists per game last season, and the results of the offensive stagnation were visible on the court.
An inability to get the ball to your bigs is a telltale sign that a team can’t move the ball, and field goal attempts for Markkanen and Carter Jr. both went down last season from the year prior. At times last year, it felt like the guards and bigs were playing different games, not working together on the offensive end often.
Plenty of possessions just ended up being Zach LaVine desperately trying to force the ball in isolation. Last season, he had a higher usage rate (31.2%, 11th in the NBA) than LeBron James (30.8%).
In these scrimmages though, the Bulls zipped the ball around effectively. The weight was taken off LaVine’s shoulders, with the ball moving around the perimeter far more than they did last season, their big men far being more involved in the flow of the offense.
As if it wasn’t already clear, Boylen was crippling the way these Bulls played last year. Even without their new head coach in Chicago, these Bulls already have made strides in their ball movement and offensive play.