On the first NBA Cup Friday of the season, the Celtics handed the Bulls their fourth loss in a row, this time by a score of 125-111. An L is an L, but the takeaways from this game shouldn’t be entirely negative.
Nightmare first half
In the game’s opening minutes, there were multiple instances of the Celtics cutting for easy buckets at the rim. The Bulls’ offense kept up for a little while, but it didn’t take long before Boston created massive separation on the scoreboard. Chicago was behind 44-25 through one quarter, and by halftime, the gap had widened: Boston led 78-49.
Yes—the Celtics dropped 78 first half points, the second-most by any team in a first half this season. They shot 63% from the field through those 24 minutes, outdoing the Bulls 38-20 in points in the paint and 38-15 in bench points (Payton Pritchard needs to give us a break).
Not ideal.
To make matters worse, Chicago turned the ball over 13 times in the first half; for context, three teams averaged less than 13 turnovers per game last season. The Bulls did manage to clean it up in the second half, finishing with just 16, but an early turnover spree is difficult to come back from, especially against a team as good as the Celtics.
Shooting struggles
After a good shooting night against the Knicks on Wednesday (48% from the field and 43% from three), the Bulls slipped back into their early-season slump: As a team, they shot 35-92 from the field (38%), and 15-50 from three-point range (30%).
Chicago’s less-than-desirable trend of high-volume, low-efficiency three-point shooting has continued to prove costly, as they currently rank dead-last in the NBA in three-point percentage while shooting the fourth-most threes per game. The Bulls’ high pace of play (first in possessions per game) factors into the volume of threes they shoot, but given that the Bulls are only middle-of-the-pack in field goals attempted per game, three pointers are definitely comprising a large chunk of their shots. It’s early, so we shouldn’t overreact to this cold stretch; however, the roster isn’t exactly full of tried-and-true shooters, so these prolonged struggles are worth keeping an eye on. Chicago also ranks second-to-last in field goal percentage, which obviously isn’t a great sign.
Living at the line
One shot the Bulls have been making a lot (and shooting a lot) is the free throw. They sit atop the NBA in both free throw attempts per game and free throws made per game, and the trend continued on Friday night against the Celtics: The Bulls put up 40 foul shots against Boston, and although they only made 25 of them (60%, far below their 78% rate this season), the ability to get to the line could potentially be a permanent characteristic of this year’s team. Between Norman Powell’s foul-drawing capability and a roster full of downhill drivers (some crafty, some bouncy), Chicago should be able to feast at the foul stripe, which may help keep the Bulls afloat if their three-point woes continue.
Of course there’s going to be a section on Caleb Wilson
No three-point woes for this guy. Wilson shot 6-11 from deep on Friday, confidently rising up over contests on several occasions—what can’t this guy do?
Short answer: nothing.
Long answer: The rookie recorded two blocks and a steal on Friday, and he’s had at least one of each in all six games to start his NBA career. He pulled down five rebounds as well, and is averaging seven on the season. Wilson showed promise as a passer in transition and finished with four assists, plus he displayed some isolation bucket-getting ability (as he has throughout the year).
Caleb Wilson isn’t just a human highlight reel with great size—the number four pick is playing like a guy who can anchor a team on both ends of the floor. And he not only has game, he has grit. Friday night, we saw Wilson poke the ball away from Paul George, then go into a full sprint and dive to try to recover it. He went sliding across the sideline, and popped up to his feet before the ref could signal Boston basketball. Then he started clapping and communicating with his teammates. 20 years old, and already looking like a leader.
Keep in mind, the Bulls were down 22 points when this happened.
Live and learn
At the very least, the Bulls brought some fight out of the halftime locker room in Boston, going on to outscore the Celtics by 15 points the rest of the way. Monday’s road matchup against the new-look 76ers will be a tall task, but it’s another opportunity for growth.
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