Since the All-Star Break concluded, first-year head coach Billy Donovan has not seen this Chicago Bulls team play even close to their potential in the last two games. The Bulls fell short to two contenders in the Eastern Conference in the last three days, both of which were very shorthanded at the time.
On the night of March 11, the Bulls fell short to a Philadelphia 76ers team that was missing both star point guard Ben Simmons and superstar center Joel Embiid. And it wasn’t even close for the Bulls in their home loss at the United Center two days back to the Sixers, which came by a sizable 18-point margin.
Then the Bulls stretched their losing streak to two games against a Miami Heat team that was down star center Bam Adebayo. The Bulls were bullied on both ends of the floor on the way to a double-digit loss to star shooting guard/small forward Jimmy Butler and the Heat on the road on March 12.
The losses to the Heat and Sixers in the last two nights moved the Bulls to a record of 16-20 since the All-Star Break concluded back on March 11. This is not the way that Bulls fans envisioned their team playing out of the gates for the second half of the regular season.
The Bulls ended the first half of the regular season a high note, beating the talented but flawed New Orleans Pelicans and star forward Zion Williamson back on March 3 by four points. There’s a number of problems that have surfaced for Donovan and the Bulls in the last two games too.
Here’s a look at three problematic Bulls players that are dragging the rest of the team down with their play since the conclusion of the All-Star Break.