Chicago Bulls midseason report: Assessing the team through the 1st 41 games of the NBA season

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With 41 games under their belt, the Chicago Bulls are hovering just below .500 at 19-22 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. But things have been looking up for the Bulls, who recently hit a hot streak as scoring improved behind All-Star Zach LaVine.

The Bulls don’t get a second to breathe, playing three games in five days starting Wednesday before heading to Paris for a game against the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 19.

Here’s a look at where the Bulls are — and where they could go in the second half of the season.

After a shaky start, the Bulls are finally cooking on offense. The veteran leadership clearly took their 150-126 drubbing by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 18 as a wake-up call, going 8-4 in the next 12 games. The Bulls offensive rating jumped to 116.5 in the last 15 games, the fifth highest in the league. LaVine and DeMar DeRozan recorded their first game with 35 points or more apiece against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. If the Bulls can find consistency, this version of their offense can compete with the best in the East.

While the Bulls offense clicked into gear, the defense fell apart. The Bulls defensive rating plummeted to 20th overall (113.5) over the last 15 games. Last season injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso led to an identical midseason drop-off. But while recent injuries to Caruso and Javonte Green have hurt the Bulls defensively, they remain just as porous even with their defensive standouts on the court.

The defense as a whole is the clear focal point for improvement, but the Bulls need to focus on two areas in particular — guarding the 3-point line and fending off second-chance opportunities.

While the Bulls rank fourth in second-chance points allowed (12.3 per game), they are last in secondary opportunities (10.4 ppg), creating a minus-2.3 differential. The gap needs to close.

The 3-point line is another weak point. The Bulls allow the second-highest percentage (36.9%) and volume (13.7 makes per game) from behind the arc while attempting the fewest (28.8) in the league. This is another issue that must improve on both sides.

The offense has been rocking behind an increase in 3-point shooting created almost entirely by LaVine. The Bulls don’t need to morph into a 3-point-heavy offense to compete in the East, but keeping the volume up will allow their offensive strengths — midrange shooting and slashing to the basket — to shine through.

Sunday marks 365 days since Ball last played basketball. After two arthroscopic procedures on his right knee, the Bulls still don’t have a timeline for Ball’s return. The point guard has improved slightly, beginning lightly jogging and jumping while shooting, but he still is experiencing pain and discomfort. A return before this season clearlywould buoy spirits — most importantly for Ball, who has expressed frustration and confusion over the agonizingly slow recovery process. But at this point, the Bulls need to be fully prepared to close another season without him.

Here’s a midseason checkup on the main rotational players for the Bulls — no grades, just analysis.

Zach LaVine

Stats: 23.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists

• LaVine’s slow start to the season was all but erased by a return to his signature scoring in December. After averaging 20.5 points in November, LaVine’s scoring improved to 24.5 points per game in December and 28.6 through five games of 2023. He shot 51.5% overall and 46.5% from 3-point range in the last 15 games. Bulls fans will have few complaints if he maintains this scoring clip.

DeMar DeRozan

Stats: 26.1 points, 5 rebounds, 4.9 assists

• It always was going to be a tall task for DeRozan to repeat his career-best scoring performance of his first season in Chicago. But DeRozan has delivered. He has had fewer buzzer-beater heroics, but DeRozan is still the Bulls’ go-to guy in the clutch and a prolific producer on the offensive end. The main concern for DeRozan is his status after leaving Monday’s game in Boston with a right quad strain. DeRozan said the injury had been lingering for eight games — during which he averaged 26.9 points and five assists — and it’s rare for an injury to sideline the veteran.

Nikola Vučević

Stats: 16.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3 assists

• It feels odd that Vučević’s numbers are slightly down from last season given his boost in comfort from his first 1½ seasons with the Bulls. Vučević clearly has figured out his role, creating in the post with a balance of ball rotation and back-to-basket play. His 3-point accuracy is up to 38.3% — improved from 31.4% last season, his worst since 2015-16. Vučević has expressed an improvement in his mentality, shaking off losses and mistakes more readily and fulfilling his role as a veteran leader in the closing minutes of a game.

Patrick Williams

Stats: 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists

• Bulls fans still expect more from the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft, but Williams finally made a leap in recent weeks. He scores the bulk of his points in first halves as his hesitancy often returns while DeRozan and LaVine take over. But Williams is finding his shot behind the 3-point arc, and his one-on-one defense has allowed the Bulls to be better equipped facing players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.

Stats: 9.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists

• Dosunmu leveled out after his leap as a rookie into the starting rotation. He nearly lost his starting point guard job before Caruso suffered several injuries, struggling at times with decision making and ball protection. Dosunmu’s 3-point shooting and finishing around the rim has taken a slight dip this season, but he continues to make explosive plays on defense and in transition while focusing on leading the offense.

Alex Caruso

Stats: 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists

Caruso’s defensive dominance has continued — he’s sixth in the league in steals (1.5) and tied for first in deflections (3.9) despite averaging only 24 minutes mainly off the bench. The big test for Caruso was staying on the court after missing half of last season with an array of injuries. So far — six absences in 41 games — so good.

Javonte Green

Stats: 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists

• Green continues to be a versatile spark who can play wherever and whenever needed. But his right knee injury casts concern as the Bulls have not provided a timeline for his return following arthroscopic surgery Wednesday, outside of a re-evaluation in two weeks. Green previously was tapped to join the starting rotation, but it’s unclear whether the Bulls will revisit that possibility when he returns to full availability.

Coby White

Stats: 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists

• White got off to a shaky start to the season with his shooting, but he improved to a 37.5% clip in the last 15 games. More important, however, has been White’s leap in his defensive physicality and ball-handling abilities. He has made noticeable improvements in both areas, allowing White to be a more dependable rotation player.

Goran Dragić

Stats: 7.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists

• Dragić brought a much-needed boost as the Bulls struggled from 3-point range — he’s averaging 1.1 3-pointers on 38.5% shooting — but ball movement really sealed the deal. The bench has benefited greatly from Dragić’s passing, which place him fifth on the team in assists.

Andre Drummond

Stats: 6.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists

• Drummond excels around the rim, handily leading the league in rebounds per 36 minutes (18.2). His main challenge has been playing time, ranging from 20-minute performances to not getting into a game because of size matchups.

Stats: 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists

Jones has been pushed into more playing time because of Green’s injury. Jones’ minutes are mostly focused on the defense end, providing a helpful combination of length and speed to take on more athletic players.