3 biggest culprits for Bulls’ inability to beat NBA’s top teams

1. The Bulls Lack a True Leader

There were always critiques about DeRozan-led teams lacking leadership from the man himself. The Raptors were known for being all-world against a weaker Eastern Conference and then becoming the “LeBronto” Raptors when it came to playing the Cavaliers. His Spurs teams underachieved, with Gregg Popovich constantly scratching his head at his star’s motor and urgency.

This season seemed to be the year where DeRozan put those whispers to rest and established himself as a leader on a legit contender. That momentum crashed in the second half of the year. Ball went down, they played a tough stretch, now DeRozan is no longer in the MVP race, and the Bulls are possibly looking at the play-in tournament.

Tristan Thompson and LaVine have visibly tried to step into that leadership role, but haven’t had as big of an impact as many were hoping for. While Donovan has taken the blame, the star player has to be the team’s leader for there to be success.

The Suns are able to have a next-man-up mentality because Chris Paul and Devin Booker set the example and hype their guys up. The Warriors have strength in numbers because Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been together long enough to know how to effectively get every teammate on the same page.

At the very least, DeRozan and LaVine need to be that source of motivation for the rest of the roster, especially when the going gets tough. The going’s been tough, and we’re still waiting. Nine games left to figure it out.