The Chicago Bulls don't have a roster stocked with prototypical size, especially with Zach Collins in street clothes. Yet somehow -- despite it being constantly overlooked -- they're one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA.
That ability to win the battle of the boards will keep the Bulls in games, regardless of how poorly they shoot from 3-point range or how many turnovers they cough up.
Beneath more glamorous storylines, such as Matas Buzelis's tantalizing start, Tre Jones' ascension to superstar role player or Chicago suddenly fielding one of the best benches in the league, lies the team's willingness to consistently crash the glass. But it's not a storyline that should be ignored any longer.
The Chicago Bulls are one of the NBA's elite rebounding teams
A come-from-behind 128-123 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 27 gave the Bulls a surprising 3-0 start to the season. Without their ability to run Atlanta off the glass in the second half, they're likely staring at a 2-1 record and far less love coming their way from both local and national media.
Chicago -- a notoriously slow-starting group -- trailed by eight after the first quarter before finishing the opening half with a flurry to cut Atlanta's lead to 58-57 at halftime. But the Bulls quickly fell behind by 13 early in the third quarter before staging a rally that was buoyed by their ability to rule the boards.
Billy Donovan's group outrebounded the Hawks 14-6 in the third quarter to kickstart its comeback. It closed the door in the fourth with a series of huge plays on the glass.
Trailing 112-111 with less than five minutes left, Nikola Vucevic tipped in a Kevin Huerter missed three to give the Bulls a one-point lead.
With less than 40 seconds left and Chicago holding a 126-123 advantage, Vucevic snagged a Dyson Daniels miss off the rim. After an Atlanta timeout, Josh Giddey had a chance to ice the game with a short floater; he missed, but immediately grabbed his own rebound and found Jones, who was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to put the contest to bed.
This kind of glass cleaning display shouldn't come as a surprise. Chicago averaged 45.9 rebounds per game last season, third-best in the NBA, and ranked No. 1 in defensive rebounding. Through this year's first three games, the Bulls are tied atop the league with the Oklahoma City Thunder in defensive rating (104.1), in part because they're eighth in rebounds per game (49.0) and third in defensive rebounds per game (38.0).
As one of the worst teams at defending the paint, it doesn't totally make sense that Vucevic, Buzelis, Giddey and Jones would form the core of one of the league's most dominant rebounding groups. But they do, and it's time everyone takes notice.