We really got to see the Chicago Bulls come to life in a strong response to the first loss of the regular season. Actually, the loss that the Bulls had at home at the United Center at the hands of the New York Knicks on Oct. 28 was the team’s first since the start of the preseason. Second-year head coach Billy Donovan really saw his team get on a roll out of the gates this season.
And one of the Bulls players that helped this team do well in their last game, which resulted in a win at home over the Utah Jazz on Oct. 30, was star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan. The four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team selection is starting to heat up of late for the Bulls.
Despite his air-ball in the dying seconds, as the Bulls fell short to the Knicks at home on Oct. 28, which resulted in the team coming up with a one-point loss, DeRozan is helping to spark the offense of late. As star shooting guard Zach LaVine is working through a thumb injury on his non-shooting hand, DeRozan had to step up.
DeRozan is now taking over, at times, as the Bulls’ primary initiator on offense. Before LaVine had this laceration in the thumb of his non-shooting hand, he was the primary initiator with this offense.
Chicago Bulls see DeMar DeRozan stepping up at an important time
But in the last game for the Bulls, DeRozan was the highest-usage player on the team by a good margin. And he nearly edged out LaVine for the highest-usage player in the loss to the Knicks heading into the weekend.
In the 107-99 win over the Jazz (who were undefeated heading into this game), DeRozan registered a game-high 32 points, six rebounds, three assists, no steals, no blocks, and one turnover. And he shot 13-of-22 from the field, missed on one attempt from beyond the arc, and was perfect on six attempts from the free-throw line.
For the first time this season, we saw DeRozan step up in a bright spotlight offensively while LaVine was dealing with something and had to take on the role of a secondary initiator. DeRozan also put up 32 points on 22 field goal attempts, which is closer to the type of production per field goal attempt that we wanted to see from him.
That led to DeRozan posting a sparkling 10.2 box plus/minus, 132 offensive rating, and a 64.9 true shooting percentage. This was a solid performance from DeRozan and shows the type of newfound depth that the Bulls have in this rotation.
When someone like LaVine is dealing with an injury or any inconsistencies on the court, Donovan has other options to turn to. DeRozan, star center Nikola Vucevic, point guard Lonzo Ball, and even point guard Coby White (once he returns from injury) can all help to also spark the offense from sources other than LaVine.
DeRozan and the Bulls have some momentum restored as they currently sit in the midst of a difficult portion of the early-season schedule. The Bulls still have one of the top records in the Eastern Conference following this win over the Jazz, as they sit at 5-1.