Maybe the whole "Running of the Bulls" pun is overused, but if this Chicago team weren't flying up and down the floor at every opportunity right now, an already ugly start to the season would look even worse. The only thing keeping the Bulls afloat is their blistering, NBA-leading pace.
As of Oct. 26, prior to their game against the Boston Celtics, the Bulls were the NBA's worst 3-point shooting team by a wide margin. They were also 28th in field-goal percentage, 21st in turnovers and 28th in offensive rating. Most upsetting was their -13.3 point differential, fourth-worst in the league.
Can you imagine if they didn't rank first in pace (108.83) and second in total possessions (328)?
If you're going to miss shots at an unnerving rate, you may as well chuck more of them than just about anyone else.
The Bulls are one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA
The numbers are worrisome, to put it nicely.
The Bulls are shooting 22.6 percent from 3-point range, dead last. They're shooting 40.9 percent from the field, which ranks 28th. Only the New York Knicks (40.8) and Charlotte Hornets (40.7) are worse.
With Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet around, the Knicks will surely settle into being one of the league's better shooting teams. Charlotte has Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid, Grayson Allen and old friend Coby White. The Hornets were one of the NBA's best 3-point shooting squads last season and they likely will be again.
Chicago has Norman Powell, Buddy Hield and ... Jalen Smith? Josh Giddey? Matas Buzelis? There's no cavalry coming for the Bulls, no real reason to believe things will even out with a larger sample size.
The Bulls are, however, playing at an elite pace
Despite shooting that aforementioned 22.6 percent, Chicago is hoisting 41.3 triples per game, the fourth-most in the league. Only the Portland Trail Blazers, Hornets and Atlanta Hawks jack up more threes a night. No one else in the bottom five in 3-point percentage shoots more than 35.
It's a similar story when it comes to field-goal attempts. The Bulls are averaging 92.0 shots, the seventh-most of any team. Yet they don't even crack the 41.0 percent threshold.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. Tiago Splitter's team shoots 35.7 free throws per game, tops in the league, and connects on 84.1 percent of them, which ranks fifth.
But apart from that, it's been a struggle, and it will probably continue to be a struggle this season. So if you're only going to shoot 22.6 percent, you may as well shoot 22.6 percent of a million, right?
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