Tag: 2023-24 nba regular season

The Chicago Bulls defense will end up being its downfall this season

The Bulls could really use something of a defensive renaissance this season if they don’t want it to end in a hurry.

The Chicago Bulls are far from a perfect ball club in a number of ways. Very far indeed last week, but the team is dealing with a host of injuries and comparatively inexperienced backups stepping into their roles. There are also structural concerns with the team, given they could really use some 3-point shooting added to the roster.

But according to at least one team analyst, the Bulls could really use something of a defensive renaissance this season if they don’t want it to end in a hurry. And the analyst in question, you ask? The host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, Haize, recently weighed in on the state of the Bulls’ defense this season.

To hear his thoughts on what is going wrong with Chicago’s defense in recent contests and why it is so important for the Bulls to fix, take a look at the clip embedded below.

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Chicago projected to finish the NBA’s 2023-24 season with less than 40 wins

That may not be the .500 record some have been hoping for of late, but far better than it looked like it might end up.

The Chicago Bulls have been projected to finish the NBA’s 2023-24 season with a 39-43 overall record by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley. That may not be the .500 record some have been hoping for of late, but far better than it looked like it might end up when Zach LaVine went down injured earlier in the season.

“The Bulls should be looking up at the Philadelphia 76ers and plotting ways to leapfrog the Joel Embiid-less team in the standings,” writes Buckley of the Bulls’ current position in the standings. “Instead, Chicago is looking over its shoulders and hoping that it won’t get jumped by (the Atlanta Hawks).

“That possibility remains very much in play, especially with the Bulls having just face-planted against a Washington Wizards team playing without Kyle Kuzma and Tyus Jones,” recalls the B/R analyst.

“The Bulls don’t have the firepower to overwhelm opponents, so they’re either grinding out wins or suffering gut-punch losses.” he adds.

Sounds about right for one of the best clutch teams in the league, given you can’t win a clutch contest without the score being close to begin with.

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Chicago Bulls fall three spots in new Athletic weekly NBA power rankings

Last week was not a very good one for the Chicago Bulls.

Last week was not a very good one for the Chicago Bulls‘ designs on making the play-in tournament and, perhaps, the 2024 NBA Playoffs after it. With losses to the Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and the lowly Washington Wizards, the Bulls have killed a lot of the momentum they have built since the 2024 trade deadline.

And for this reason, they have fallen from No. 18 in the Athletic’s weekly league power rankings to No. 21, and deservedly so. “The Bulls even have a chance to make it to .500 by the end of the season, but they’ll probably hit the over regardless on their way to the do-or-die play-in showdown” with the Atlanta Hawks, writes Athletic league analyst Zach Harper.

Currently in the Eastern Conference’s ninth-place spot with the Philadelphia 76ers holding a 4.5 game lead over them at the time of writing, Chicago has a greater chance of falling to the dreaded tenth seed by the end of the season with the Atlanta Hawks just a game behind them, as Harper alludes.

“The roster has responded to the injuries and missing players extremely well,” writes Harper — but will it be enough?

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What are the Chicago Bulls’ biggest remaining concerns over the final 11 games of the 2023-24 NBA season?

Do they want to focus on getting healthy for next season? Playing the youth movement of Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Onuralp Bitim as much as they can?

What are the Chicago Bulls‘ biggest remaining concerns over the final 11 games of their 2023-24 NBA season? Do they want to focus on getting healthy for next season? Playing the youth movement of Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Onuralp Bitim as much as they can?

Could they try to cycle talent through the team in the hopes of hitting on some more depth talent? And what about the play-in tournament and the 2024 NBA Playoffs beyond it? Does Chicago have a chance at either? Should they be trying to make a push to improve their odds to such an end?

To try to give us a good answer to all these questions, the hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, took a moment on a recent episode to outline what they think are the largest remaining issues for the Bulls to work through before the 2024 NBA offseason.

Check it out above!

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Chicago holds steady in latest Bleacher Report’s weekly NBA power rankings

No complaints from us on this assessment.

The Chicago Bulls have held steady in the latest Bleacher Report’s weekly NBA power rankings, maintaining their position at No. 26 overall. Just behind the Houston Rockets, and just ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bulls are ranked about where we would expect given their play last week.

Per Andy Bailey, the mind behind the power rankings, the “Bulls seem pretty much locked into ninth and the bottom half of the play-in tournament. And if they keep getting performances from Ayo Dosunmu like the one he delivered on Thursday, they might have an outside shot to escape those elimination games.”

“The Bulls lost to the red-hot Houston Rockets, but the 24-year-old had 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting,” he adds.

“And over his last 18 games, he’s averaged 17.9 points, 5.6 assists and 2.6 3s, while shooting 42.7% from deep,” recounts Bailey.

No complaints from us on this assessment — it both reflects the precariousness of Chicago’s recent success without negating it — but we’ll try not to get our hopes up about the play-in tournament.

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Chicago rookie Julian Phillips out indefinitely with foot sprain

With just over a month left in Chicago’s 2023-24 campaign, Phillips’ season is done for all intents and purposes.

The Chicago Bulls dodged the injury bullet with guard Coby White’s recent hip injury, but the team’s back injury luck this season continued with word that Bulls small forward Julian Phillips will be out indefinitely with a foot sprain. And while sprains are typically not season ending injuries, with just over a month left in Chicago’s 2023-24 campaign, Phillips’ season is done for all intents and purposes.

The Tennessee alum had been seeing bigger minutes with the Bulls since the end of the month of January, which saw the Texan wing put up 3.9 points, and 1.4 rebounds per game over 12.4 minutes of floor time.

On a recent episode, the host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, Haize, broke down what this means for Chicago’s playoff push and Phillips’ development in light of Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, and, in particular, Patrick Williams all being out hurt as well.

Check it out in the clip embedded above.

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The Chicago Bulls continue to be the best clutch team in the NBA

What can we take from another such outcome for Chicago?

Fans of the Chicago Bulls were not all that surprised to see their favorite team pull out a clutch win over the Utah Jazz on the road this past Wednesday night. Especially given that Chicago has been (and continues to be) one of the most clutch teams in the league this season.

In a contest which was tight throughout, neither ball club opened up a commanding lead. It saw the Bulls keep it close until the game’s waning moments, with veteran wing DeMar DeRozan putting Chicago up for good with a minute remaining in the contest, the Bulls coming away with a 119-117 victory. What can we take from another such outcome for Chicago?

Haize, the host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, had plenty to say about yet another clutch win coming through for the Bulls.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what he had to say about it.

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The Chicago Bulls are very good in the clutch this season

When it comes to crunch time, the Bulls are very, very good.

When it comes to keeping their best players healthy, the Chicago Bulls are something of a disaster with not just guards Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine out for the season, but also forward Patrick Williams. And when it comes to making moves at the NBA trade deadline, the Bulls are equally bad, having neglected to do so for three seasons running.

It remains to be seen how well the storied ball club will do for team building in the 2024 offseason, but they have not been so hot in that regard of late as well. But when it comes to crunch time, the Bulls are very, very good indeed.

Speaking on a recent episode of their “Bulls Central” podcast, the minds behind the show took some time to break down just how good Chicago has been of late in the waning moments of games.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Bulls move up in latest Bleacher Report weekly NBA power rankings

Whether the Bulls can maintain this level of play through to the end of the 2023-24 regular season is another story.

The Chicago Bulls have moved up in Bleacher Report’s weekly NBA power rankings after having won two of their last three games this week. The uptick in good play from the dinged-up Bulls roster has them taking a jump up the weekly analysis of the NBA’s status quo. With it, Chicago jumps from No. 20 overall last week to No. 19 for this one, per B/R analyst Andy Bailey.

“Let’s spend a little time on the Andre Drummond resurgence that really hasn’t gotten enough attention this season,” writes Bailey. “The 30-year-old started alongside Nikola Vucevic in Wednesday’s double-overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and went for 26 rebounds, 17 points and three blocks in 36 minutes.”

“Since Christmas, Drummond is averaging a double-double in just over 20 minutes per game,” he adds. “And after Wednesday’s win, he’s been on the right side of the plus-minus ledger in five of Chicago’s last six games.”

Whether the Bulls can maintain this level of play through to the end of the 2023-24 regular season is another story, but a little positive reinforcement certainly can’t hurt the confidence of the youth movement behind it.

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What exactly are the Chicago Bulls doing for the rest of the season?

Are they going to lean into the development of young players like Onuralp Bitim in the hopes that they strike lightening twice, as they did with Coby White?

The plan was, we were told, to field a competitive ball club after the Chicago Bulls’ front office decided to stand pat for the third season in a row at the trade deadline. But then life happened, as Patrick Williams joined guard Zach LaVine as out for the rest of the 2023-24 NBA season.

What exactly are the Bulls doing for the rest of the season? Are they going to lean into the development of young players like Onuralp Bitim in the hopes that they strike lightening twice, as they did with Coby White? Will they survey the buyout market for a younger player with upside?

Or will the front office find another way to make a mess of this season?

The host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, Haize, took some time on a recent episode to talk over what the Bulls’ plan might be for the rest fo the season. Check it out above!

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