SUBJECT: Bulls (4-9)
GAME 3 of 3
11/16 v. BKN • L, 117-111
A recurring theme of Chicago’s young season: the inability to take advantage of “winnable” situations and find a way to get victories. Game #3 of CHI’s tracking… period featured another blown opportunity.
Playing without Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Brooklyn came out strong to begin the game - ended up with a double-digit advantage after 1 (30-19). However, CHI had a huge 2nd quarter (outscored the Nets 37-20) & it seemed like momentum had swung in their favor.
But down the stretch the Nets, led by Spencer Dinwiddie (20! 4th quarter pts), simply made better/smarter plays. Chicago’s poor shot selection & turnovers (19) ended up being too much to overcome.
Zach LaVine (36 pts on 11/24 shooting) & Wendell Carter Jr. (18 & 14 boards) led the way in defeat, one of the more disappointing outcomes of the year thus far.
QUICK NOTES
Lauri Markkanen: 16 & 10 boards; shot 4/10 from the field, played 35 minutes
Coby White: 7 pts, 9 boards & 3 dimes; aggressive w/ shot, though inaccurate (3/13)
Ryan Arcidiacono: 6 pts in 18 minutes; solid outing, hit two important 3s in 4th quarter
Chandler Hutchison: START - 11 pts & 4 boards in 23 minutes
CHI: made 9/39 from deep
CHI: shot 35% overall
CHI: committed 19 turnovers
TRACKING GOALS
Z. LaVine: 25+ points in 2 of 3 games -- Avg. 28.7 ppg
L. Markkanen: 50% shooting over 3 games -- Shot 35%
2-1 record or better -- finished 1-2
10+ triples in all 3 games -- hit 10+ triples in 2 of 3 games
Less turnovers than opponent in 2 of 3 games -- Yup.
Outrebound opponent in 2 of 3 games -- Yup.
20+ dimes in 2 of 3 games -- Yup.
Goals Completed: 4/7
TAKEAWAY
Overall, Chicago’s tracking… period produced more bad than good.
Although they played without Otto Porter Jr. for all 3 games, each contest was winnable. Now, it would be an easier pill to swallow if they only dropped last Thursday’s meeting vs. Milwaukee, a team led by reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But losing to Brooklyn without Kyrie Irving + letting the Bucks game slip away is enough cause for concern.
BULLS
4-9
Were expectations placed too high on Chicago?
Who knows?
But with the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture still wide open as the calendar hits late November, it’s a little premature to chalk up the season & prepare for another lottery appearance.
For Chicago to turn things around, a hierarchy of leadership & roles need to be established:
Zach LaVine & Coby White are (easily) the best shot-makers on the team
Tomas Satoransky is the best passer
Wendell Carter Jr. & Kris Dunn are the best (and most capable) defenders
Though that doesn’t cover CHI’s entire core - Jim Boylen desperately needs to find more organic attempts for Lauri Markkanen in the flow of the offense - directly communicating nightly assignments is important.
Since they don’t rebound or shoot the ball particularly well, everything from scoring, distributing & defending must be by committee.
Can Coach Boylen figure out rotations before it’s too late? Did we overrate CHI’s season projection?
The answer to both will play out as the season unfolds. In the short term, however, the focus should be on closing out games better & developing lineup continuity.
Tracking Complete.
(Baro.)