It's been a meandering season in the Windy City. From ugly losses to triumphant victories, Chicago Bulls fans have seen it all in just a few months. Most recently, things have gotten even uglier. The Bulls were losers of five straight before righting the ship with a victory against the LA Clippers.
Following a 1-5 stretch, it's becoming increasingly evident that the Bulls' Front Office needs to tear it down and mash the rebuild button. As a middling team, 10th in the Eastern Conference, Chicago risks losing its first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs. It'll convey to the Spurs if the Bulls fall outside the top 10.
Despite the potential of missing out on a coveted first-rounder in a stacked 2025 NBA Draft, the Bulls have continued to compete. Chicago was 7-5 in December and 3-2 to begin January before the five-game skid. Now, at 19-25, with a little over two weeks until the trade deadline, the Bulls' Front Office must decide the team's direction. Whether it be gearing up for a playoff push or severing ties with key veterans—a direction must soon be agreed upon.
Regardless of what happens over the next few months, we'll examine how the Bulls have fared at the midway point of the season. Below, we've graded Chicago's offense and defense and provided some additional input, pinpointing several notable trends.
Grading the Chicago Bulls halfway through the season
Offense
If anything has gone right for the Bulls this season, it's been on the offensive end. Chicago ranks fifth in the NBA in points per game—averaging 117.1 through 44 contests. The Bulls have been led by a triumvirate who all average above 18.0 points per game. Zach LaVine leads the way at 24.0, followed by Nikola Vucevic's 20.3, and lastly, Coby White contributes 18.2 points per contest.
While the Bulls rank among the top five in points, they rank much lower in field goal percentage. Chicago is 12th in the association, shooting 46.8 percent on 92.3 field goal attempts per game (third in the NBA). The Bulls' frenzied pace has led to increased scoring numbers and a bevy of field goal attempts. The Billy Donovan-led squad ranks third in the NBA in pace, at 104.02.
The Bulls' change in offensive ideology has led to a completely different dynamic. A season ago, the Bulls ranked 28th in pace and attempted the 26th-most three-pointers per game. Furthermore, the Bulls also came in at 26th in fast break points per game. This season, Chicago is second in three-point attempts and fifth in fast break points.
Launching as many triples as possible has been a key component of the Bulls' run-and-gun offense. Chicago ranks third in three-point makes and eighth in accuracy. The Bulls rank amongst the top 10 in left corner and above the break threes, but struggle from the right corner—ranking last in the NBA in right corner efficiency. However, with the inherent focus on threes, the Bulls have foregone getting to the free-throw line. Chicago ranks 29th in free throws made and dead-last in free throw attempts per game. Meanwhile, they rank fourth in the NBA free throw accuracy.
Lastly, after swapping Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey in the offseason, the Bulls have considerably climbed the assist leaderboard. Chicago ranked 23rd, averaging 25.0 assists per game a season ago. As of mid-January, the Bulls are fourth in the association at 29.2 assists per contest. The pass-first Bulls roster six players, led by Giddey, who average 3.4 or more assists per game.
Defense
No longer as porous of a unit as they were to begin the season, Chicago now ranks 22nd in defensive rating after ranking dead last in November. The Bulls enjoyed an 11th-ranked defensive rating in December and a 13th-ranked defensive rating thus far into January to rectify a once abysmal placement.
Chicago isn't above average regarding blocks or steals, ranking 21st and 25th, respectively. Only three Bulls average more than a steal per game, while none average above 0.8 blocks. Chicago isn't particularly active on the defensive front, ranking 27th in the NBA in deflections at 13.9 per game. Despite not blocking many shots, the Bulls aren't too keen on drawing charges either. Chicago has drawn a mere five charges all season, with Jalen Smith leading the charge (no pun intended) at three.
Due to Chicago's frenetic pace, teams are granted the opportunity to get plenty of shots up. Bulls' opponents average the most field goals per game, 95.5. Chicago allows its opponents to convert on 47.1 percent of their field goal attempts—placing 21st in the league. The defense is far more stifling when opponents launch threes. The Bulls rank second in the NBA, allowing its adversaries to shoot just 33.6 percent from distance. Although the Bulls allow the fifth-most three-pointers per game, they contest the second-most which correlates with a low opponent conversation rate.
The Bulls are especially inept at defending the paint. Chicago ranks 25th in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage within five feet of the rim. Nikola Vucevic and Co. concede points in the paint, giving up a league-high 56.1 per game. If an opponent does happen to miss, Chicago does a pretty good job of snatching rebounds. The Bulls pace the association in defensive rebounds per gate at 36.0. Three players average above 4.5 defensive boards per contest.
Beyond
Although the offense earned an "A" grade on the season, it has been trending down lately. The Bulls have scored over 120 points just once over the past six games, against the middling Charlotte Hornets. However, Chicago is still capable of scoring a bevy of points against the league's better defense, as evidenced by an early January 1239-point showing versus the New York Knicks.
The defense is doing quite the opposite. Chicago is coming off a 112-99 defeat to the LA Clippers, in which the squad allowed less than 100 points for just the third time this season. Chicago forced the Clippers to shoot below 40 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from downtown. Once an utter liability, the Bulls' defense has seen a slight turnaround since the beginning of December.
At 19-25, the Bulls are 22nd in the NBA in win percentage yet rank slightly better in clutch win percentage at 44.4 percent. Despite maintaining relatively poor statistics, Chicago is 8-10 on the season in clutch. The Bulls rank in the bottom third of the league in clutch field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and turnovers.
Onto the more bizarre occurrences thus far. Chicago leads the league in both travel and backcourt violations. Considering the Bulls aren't overly turnover-prone (19th in the NBA), it's intriguing to learn that Chicago is prone to two obscure forms of turnovers.
Finally, a few more offensive tidbits. Although Chicago doesn't run many isolations (25th-most per game), they rank first in the league in iso points per possession and fourth in field goal percentage. Aside from isolations, the Bulls are mostly middling when it comes to different actions. However, Chicago is prone to stagnation on offense—ranking second in the NBA in spot-up frequency, yet the bottom third in possessions spent cutting and using off-ball screens.