Chicago Bulls: Daniel Theis is the x-factor for a playoff push

The Chicago Bulls are in the middle of a heated race for the final play in tournament spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. An unlikely suspect in Daniel Theis needs to be the team’s x-factor over the course of the final 13 games if the Bulls are going to finish the regular season in the top ten.

As recently discussed, the Bulls schedule to finish the season out is absolutely brutal. Never mind everything else like the absence of Zach LaVine or the lack of consistent play and just consider the opponents and it can be difficult to see how the Bulls can win enough games to make a playoff push.

That leads to the unlikely candidate being the team’s potential X-factor if they are going to overachieve and beat some of the better opponents they have left on the schedule. Naturally, a number of Bulls will have to step up and play at a high level, but Daniel Theis specifically could be the player that changes some of these games for the better for the Bulls.

Hear me out. Theis, who has been starting recently, will be extremely important in every game but especially when the team is matched up against the best teams they are going to face. Why is that? A combination of things, but it starts with what the Chicago Bulls lack as a team and what Theis specifically does that no other players on the team can do.

Chicago Bulls X-Factor Daniel Theis: Defensive Responsibilities

The Bulls are pretty bad on defense right now and that is not going to change this season. While fixing the problem will be atop the team’s to-do list in the offseason, right now they are forced to make the most out of what they have.

The lack of valuable assets on that end of the floor means Daniel Theis is going to be asked to do a number of different things in different situations down the team’s final stretch of games.

That is especially true against the strong teams the Bulls play, and they play a lot of strong teams. With opponents featuring players like Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetunokoumpo, and Joel Embiid, the Bulls are going to have to ask Theis to defend each of those players for stretches of time in the upcoming must-win games.

There will also be periods of games where he will be needed as a help defender protecting the rim, though how the Bulls will match up with such players when Theis is busy is unknown. Still, the defense he is going to be asked to play is going to be crucial in giving the Bulls a chance in the upcoming games.

Nikola Vucevic is far too easy to expose on that end of the floor and Patrick Williams is not strong enough to prevent himself from getting bullied against those guys for too many minutes. That makes Theis and his defensive efforts a huge part of any success the Bulls are going to have.