While watching the Chicago Bulls drop their fifth straight game to the five-win Brooklyn Nets, play-by-play announcer Adam Amin highlighted a quietly dire statistic—one that caught my attention, and likely many fans still watching late into the fourth quarter.
Amin shared, “The Bulls finish in the restricted area at the second-worst rate in the NBA despite having the most field goal attempts in the restricted area.”
After hearing Amin share the absurd statistic following a missed Patrick Williams layup, one where he at least drew a foul, I decided to dig deeper. Sure enough, Amin was right. But it gets worse. After last night’s loss, Chicago now ranks dead-last in the NBA in restricted-area field goal percentage while leading the league in attempts from that zone.
Chicago’s rim finishing problem has hit rock bottom
It’s certainly a bizarre trend, one the Bulls share with just one other NBA team: the 3-19 New Orleans Pelicans. Not exactly flattering company. A quick look at the league’s best finishers in the restricted area shows why efficiency around the rim matters. The top five in restricted-area field goal percentage are a combined 59-47 (though the Los Angeles Clippers did manage to rain on the parade).
What Amin shared next is food for thought. If Chicago converted these attempts at league-average efficiency, roughly 67.0 percent, it would add at least four points per game. That alone would flip their negative 3.6-point differential into a positive one.
Of course, it’s not that simple. Converting more of their league-high restricted-area attempts wouldn’t automatically guarantee wins, but it would certainly help. The Bulls’ entire offensive philosophy revolves around rim pressure. Chicago pushes the pace, aiming to attack the rim or kick the ball out for an open three.
The Bulls are hitting three-pointers at an above-league-average rate, ranking eighth in the NBA at 37.0 percent. But their finishing at the rim is anything but threatening. Using the 67.0 percent benchmark, only three Bulls—Kevin Huerter (73.2), Julian Phillips (70.0), and Jalen Smith (68.6)—exceed that mark. Together, they account for just 6.8 restricted-area field goals per game, though.
Chicago’s primary rim shooters—Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Matas Buzelis—shoot just 56.1 to 61.8 percent in the restricted area. Together, they account for 20.8 of the Bulls’ restricted-area attempts per game, meaning nearly two-thirds of Chicago’s rim shots come from these inefficient finishers.
Asking these four players to cut back on their rim attempts would be blasphemy. They are the core of the Bulls’ offensive engine. Yet it’s concerning that the team’s overall restricted-area field goal percentage is being dragged down by its best drivers.
Still, it’s equally shocking that Chicago is such a poor finishing team. The Bulls leave an abundance of easy points on the board due to their low shooting percentage around the rim. In theory, it seems like an easy fix—but it won’t happen overnight. Chicago has now finished 27th or worse in restricted-area field goal percentage for three consecutive seasons.