Reasons for Chicago Bulls recent struggles: Lack of a third option
The Chicago Bulls have one of the most talented offensive duos in the league now that they have paired Zach LaVine with big man Nikola Vucevic. Unfortunately, they ran out of time at the deadline to make moves at positions of need.
Even though they got steals in both Brown Jr. and Theis, they really need a third player to complement their first two. No one they have in their rotation can be counted on nightly to carry some of the offensive load.
Only Thaddeus Young and Theis are averaging double-digit points since the moves were made, with Young at 12.4 and Theis at 10. Meanwhile, Vucevic is scoring 22.5 and LaVine is at 25 in the team’s last 11 games. Both players are playing pretty efficiently given their workload, as well.
In addition to the already discussed White and Markkanen, rookie Patrick Williams has struggled since the deadline. Although it should be added he wasn’t ready to be a third option type guy anyway.
Still, the Bulls are at the point of basically having no consistent or reliable players outside of their two all-stars. That is obviously not a recipe for success. It is hard to say who could step up for the team, but anyone stepping up would do the job.
If LaVine and Vucevic could get some offensive support the team would find themselves in much better situations. A more versatile offensive attack makes players like LaVine and Vooch more lethal themselves. As of now, teams can zone in on defending them and worry very little about anyone else on the Bulls.