Combing through the Chicago Bulls’ surprising 127–111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, nothing necessarily jumps off the page. Much like watching the game unfold, everything the Bulls did, they did well. Chicago bested Cleveland in field-goal percentage, rebounds, assists, turnovers, fast-break points, points in the paint, bench points, and points off turnovers.
It was an unassuming game for Chicago. Optimism has been scarce as of late, and a matchup against an Eastern Conference favorite wasn’t expected to change that. Yet, here we are.
So what, if anything, has changed? Will this Bulls team recapture the magic from the beginning of the season and use it to spark a hot streak nearly two months later? The answer is no. That early-season magic is gone. But that doesn’t mean the Bulls are without hope. It means the source of their success has changed. Chicago is now relying on something else entirely.
At the beginning of the season, the Bulls relied heavily on depth and the play of their reserves. Chicago still ranks second in the NBA in total bench points, the same spot it held in October during a 5–0 start. But in December, the Bulls sit 13th in bench points per game.
Chicago’s starting five emerges as the team’s new edge
The Bulls’ starters haven’t shown dramatic statistical improvement from October to now, yet Chicago’s opening group has quietly become the team’s biggest advantage.
With Coby White and Isaac Okoro finally healthy, Billy Donovan can trot out his preferred starting five. Alongside White and Okoro are the usual starters: Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic. This group has played just 32 minutes together all season, but when they’ve shared the floor, good things have happened.
The Bulls’ starting group is averaging a plus-3.2 together and posting a 28.8 net rating. Among all 15 rotations that have played at least 15 minutes together this season, the preferred starting five ranks first in net rating, offensive rating, and true shooting percentage.
But that’s how it should be, right? The best five players should make up the starting lineup. Well… not exactly. Using the same 15-minute minimum threshold, only two starting units leaguewide have a better net rating than the Bulls’: the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Surely, the small sample size has a lot to do with it, as it does with the two aforementioned starting units. Neither the Clippers’ fivesome (18 minutes) nor the Bucks’ (29 minutes) has suited up together often due to injuries—a factor that has contributed to both teams’ disappointing seasons.
Nonetheless, there are positives to take from the small sample size. First, Chicago’s starting five has seen more floor time than both the Clippers’ and Bucks’ preferred units—32 minutes, in fact. Second, the group had its longest run together in the win over Cleveland, playing 10 minutes and absolutely dominating the Cavaliers. Their plus/minus for that stretch was only plus-7.0, but they converted 16 of 18 field goals, recorded 11 assists, and posted an impressive 173.9 offensive rating, culminating in a 30.4 net rating.
The starting group looked impressive, and it wasn’t hard to notice why. Giddey, Vucevic, and White combined for 68 points, 25 rebounds, 18 assists, and six steals against Cleveland. Moreover, Giddey and Vucevic tied for second on the team in plus/minus at plus-15.
Now, finally healthy, Chicago can seemingly bank on its starting group for a competitive edge. If the bench can regain its early-season form (helped by a fully healthy Ayo Dosunmu), there’s reason to take optimism from last night and project it forward.