Slow starts, deep holes continue plaguing Bulls in loss to winless Jazz
A recipe for disaster
It’s being talked about daily, preached ad nauseam by coach Billy Donovan and his staff, including during the Monday morning shootaround.
Yet, there the Bulls players were once again, starting a game with little urgency, grabbing the shovels, finding some soft dirt, and digging a huge hole to then try and climb out of.
A blueprint that keeps happening and one that is not sustainable if this team wants to accomplish anything that resembles success. Evident by the 135-126 loss to Utah at the United Center, maybe they don’t.
A breakdown in defense
Down 20 in back-to-back games against Memphis and Orlando last week, falling behind 17 in Brooklyn on Friday, and then the latest blackeye came against the winless Jazz, letting Utah – without former Bull Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) – come out of the gate in the first half and put the Bulls (3-4) in a 15-point deficit.
More concerning was the common component of too many easy baskets in the paint, specifically allowing opposing guards to have a free pass through the lane and to the rim. Blow-by after blow-by.
Utah’s Cody Williams, Collin Sexton, rookie Kyle Filipowski with an easy dunk because of a Sexton drive that allowed an easy dump-off pass. It went on and on through the first half.
Coaches’ concerns
The defense was obviously a concern at the start of the season, especially with All-Defensive First-Teamer Alex Caruso now wearing Thunder blue, and while the team’s defensive rating was still top 10 through the first five games, the backcourt breakdowns were troubling.
Even more so because it’s now two different players that have talked about Bulls teammates needing to watch more film on their own.
Last season, Caruso talked about players taking more responsibility to study film in their own time rather than just what the coaches feed them. Josh Giddey, who came over from Oklahoma City in the Caruso deal, was reiterating that.
The task ahead
“You go through a scout or shootaround, watch film, so you spend time on it,” Giddey said. “But it’s the NBA, players are good, they’re going to make plays. It’s our job to do everything we can to understand their tendencies.
“We’ve had games where we’ve made it tough on guys. Some guys have had good nights, scored 30, but I feel like they’ve had to work for it. Still, our defense has to be a collective unit, it’s got to be five guys. We’re going to continue to harp on that.”
A third-quarter spark
The Bulls did get serious in the third quarter, thanks to Coby White doing all he could to take over, scoring 15 points in the stanza and helping the Bulls outscore the visiting team 40-33 in the third. But with Zach LaVine in street clothes (right adductor), there just wasn’t enough scoring in the fourth, and there definitely wasn’t enough defense.
Conclusion
The Bulls’ slow starts and inability to defend against opposing guards are major concerns for the team. The loss to the winless Jazz is a worrying sign, and it’s unclear if the team can turn things around.
FAQs
* What are the main issues plaguing the Bulls?
+ Slow starts and inability to defend against opposing guards
* What are the coaches’ concerns?
+ Defense, particularly in the backcourt, and the need for players to take more responsibility in studying film on their own
* What is the team’s record?
+ 3-4
* Who is out with an injury?
+ Zach LaVine (right adductor)
