Chicago Bulls: 4 most efficient defenders in franchise history

In the Chicago Bulls franchise history, it’s pretty difficult to pick among the many great defenders that played for this team over the years.

Throughout the storied history of the Chicago Bulls franchise, a number of their brightest stars made their name on the defensive end of the floor. The Bulls were known for their toughness on defense (among other things) throughout the tenure of head coaches like the legendary Phil Jackson and Tom Thibodeau.

Even one of the brighter spots of the Bulls team during the 2019-20 season (in the final year under now former head coach Jim Boylen) was the amount of turnovers that they drew. The Bulls led the NBA in turnovers drawn per game last season. And they did it via a number of solid perimeter defensive performances.

From players on the current Bulls roster, like that of guards Kris Dunn and Shaquille Harrison, to former legends like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, there’s a number of solid defenders to look back on in the Windy City.

The defensive end of the floor is often forgotten for many NBA fans. But it can be just as important as success in the modern NBA in spacing the floor and running fast in transition. The two teams that made the NBA Finals last season, the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, both thrived on defense throughout the runs they had in their respective conferences in the playoffs.

In the Bulls case, defense can be a route for Arturas Karnisovas and Billy Donovan to build the franchise back up in the near future. They need something to give on that end of the floor heading into the fourth year of the rebuild.

Here’s a look back at the four most efficient defenders in Bulls franchise history.