Bulls may have found secret defensive edge just days into training camp

Interior defense was the Chicago Bulls’ Achilles’ heel last season. They ranked 30th in points allowed in the paint, 23rd in opponent field goal percentage within six feet, and just 18th in blocks. Most glaring of all, they lacked a true interior deterrent.

Chicago’s lack of perimeter stoppers and absence of intimidating shot-blockers fueled its porous interior defense numbers. Yet blocked shots and opponents’ paint field goal percentage don’t always go hand in hand.

There are other ways for the Bulls to stymie opponents in the paint, beginning with team defense. Chicago rotated well and contested shots effectively, averaging the third-most contests in the association, but too often, perimeter breakdowns left Nikola Vucevic, or a help defender, stranded on an island.

What the Bulls failed to do once opponents broke through the first line of defense, beyond blocking shots, was draw charges. They took only 13 all season, ranking 27th in the NBA, with just four players drawing more than one.

The Bulls are honing in on drawing charges

Having done little to fix last season’s interior woes, the Bulls are trying a new approach in training camp. With added physicality from offseason addition Isaac Okoro, they’re now focusing on drawing more charges.

After just two days of training camp, Head Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls have already drawn more charges in scrimmages than all of last season. While surpassing 13 charges isn’t difficult, it shows Chicago is finding new ways to make opponents hesitate when attacking the paint.

The Bulls have bolstered their perimeter defense by adding Isaac Okoro and rookie Noa Essengue, but there’s still work to be done. Improvement starts with emphasizing activity and physicality—two defensive pillars. There isn't more to quality defense than giving effort, which the Bulls clearly failed to do this past season.

Drawing charges, getting deflections, and recovering loose balls all need to increase from last season’s levels. From pre- to post-All-Star break, Chicago’s defense improved significantly, along with its averages in charges drawn, deflections, and loose-ball recoveries.

Building on last season’s post-All-Star break improvements will help the Bulls start this season strong and avoid an early slump. With the offense already settled, defining a defensive identity is the next step, and that identity could very well be built on activity, specifically drawing charges.