Should Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan take more shots? How the Chicago Bulls can fix their problems on offense.

DETROIT — The Chicago Bulls have a shooting problem. It’s not a matter of making their shots — they simply aren’t taking enough of them.

This has been a long-held point of contention for the roster from behind the 3-point arc, where the Bulls have not budged from being last in the NBA in attempts all season. But as they’ve stumbled out of position for the play-in tournament over the last two months, their lack of scoring has seeped into every area on the court.

Entering Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, the Bulls had averaged 83.6 field-goal attempts in their last 15 games — second-to-last in the league in that span.

The low volume erases the fact they were in the top 10 in field-goal percentage (48.8%). The Bulls sat 25th during that stretch with 40.8 made shots per game.

Tuesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors provided an example of the risks of this hesitancy. The Bulls took 71 shots from the field; the Raptors took 94. Ultimately, it didn’t matter that the Bulls were more accurate, shooting 52.1% to Toronto’s 40.4%. The Raptors won off quantity, not quality of shots.

“This has been a challenge for us,” coach Billy Donovan said. “The group is really incredibly unselfish. They’ll make the extra pass and they’ll move the ball and they’re all willing passers.”

So where can the Bulls find extra shooting — especially with less than six weeks left in the season?

The first place to look is at top scorers DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

Both had been shooting at a slightly lower volume during the 15-game period before Wednesday. LaVine was taking 16.7 attempts per game, one fewer than his season average, and DeRozan was averaging 15.9 attempts, 1.9 fewer.

Veteran guard Patrick Beverley has been stoking DeRozan and LaVine since he arrived in Chicago last week, encouraging them to pass less and shoot more even if it feels unnatural.

“DeMar and Zach, they need to shoot the ball a little more for us to be the team we need to be,” Beverley said. “Especially in the playoffs. The goal isn’t to get to the playoffs, the goal is to get to the playoffs and compete. Not to just be a washrag for another team.”

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For the Bulls, however, it’s not just a matter of demanding more shots from DeRozan and LaVine. First, they need to get the ball into the hands of their best shooters — and in a position to actually make a play.

The Bulls had been a top-10 team in ball protection for most of the season, but their recent offensive skid has been fueled by a sudden spike in turnovers — 14.5 per game in the last 15 games before Wednesday, 10th-worst in the league in that span. They gave up 19 turnovers against the Raptors, repeatedly stymying any momentum.

“There were so many opportunities in the first half where we threw passes to guys that were open that just took them out of shots,” Donovan said. “Whether it was down low or up high, guys were just trying to go catch the ball and by the time they caught it, now there’s a close-out, the defender’s back up. We’ve got to be better in terms of executing the pass.”

Donovan and Beverley both emphasized the answer isn’t just jacking up shots. Cleaning up turnovers and hitting the offensive boards harder would help swing the offensive pendulum back in their favor, while lowering their shooting efficiency would provide opponents with a higher volume of potential fast breaks.

But at the same time, the Bulls can’t contend if they continue to balk with the ball in their hands. And as their window of playoff opportunity tightens with each loss, the Bulls have a clear moment of crisis looming if they can’t shoot their shot with more consistency.

“We’ve got capable players that can make a ton of 3s, that can shoot a ton of shots,” Beverley said. “So what if you have a bad shooting game? We’ve just got to get them up.”