Could Bulls’ tough stretch bring out the best in team’s star players?

It’s not a secret that the Chicago Bulls hit a rough patch recently, but that stretch may have been a turning point for their leaders.

The Chicago Bulls were left to do soul searching after losing to lackluster Sacramento Kings Monday night. The Bulls defensive struggles continued. De’Aaron Fox scored 34 points and had six assists and six rebounds. The loss marked the Bulls’ sixth loss in their last eight games.

Zach LaVine didn’t hold back when talking about the team’s recent struggles. This isn’t the first time LaVine spoke out about the team’s need for internal adjustments. After their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, he said the Bulls needed to stay together and play harder the entire game.

This go around, he looked inward.

"“I got to do a better job of just my mentality,” LaVine admitted in his post game media availability. “I’m going out and I’m playing with some pain in my knee, but I got to have the right mindset. I can’t tiptoe into the game … I can put excuses out there, but I put that on myself where I made a mental decision in the 2nd half to go out there and play like me, and I got to start off that way.”"

LaVine has always been straight up with the media about the team and his own play. Him reevaluating his own game and approach suggests there might be a difference in his play. With teams constantly trapping DeMar DeRozan, LaVine’s ability to make himself a consistent threat will alleviate some of the offense’s stagnation.

This time, the change was evident after halftime of the Kings game. The Bulls were down 20 points, and DeRozan wasn’t able to get to his spots because of the Kings’ traps. LaVine adjusted and got more aggressive on drives, refusing to settle for jump shots. That change resulted in eight made free throws for him.

The Bulls had two strong games after Tristan Thompson and LaVine laid into the bench during their game against the Pistons. While Detroit and the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t exactly contenders, they were playing good basketball at the time. The vocal leadership from their veterans pushed the team to play at a higher intensity, even if the results haven’t been as encouraging. But the fact that the energy is there suggests the team will be stronger as the competition gets tougher and the stakes get higher.

Moving forward, it will take more than vocal leadership, though. LaVine and DeRozan will need to back up their words on the court for the rest of the team to follow suit.

“We have to learn from this,” LaVine said. “If not, that’s on us.”