The Chicago Bulls had a lot of eyes on them coming into the 2021-22 NBA season. They made some major changes in the offseason, upgrading the roster with acquisitions in free agency. Many people questioned how it would all come together.
Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic were already in place, as Vucevic was acquired from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline. Lonzo Ball was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in a sign-and-trade to take over as the starting point guard.
Rounding out the starting lineup was DeMar DeRozan, who was also acquired via sign-and-trade, from the San Antonio Spurs. Alex Caruso was signed away from the Los Angeles Lakers to put the finishing touches on their offseason.
Thus far, all of the pieces have gelled together perfectly. Chicago is tied with the Washington Wizards for the best record in the NBA at 8-3 and they are showing no signs of slowing down.
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Chicago has explosive scorers in LaVine and DeRozan to lead the way. Vucevic was a go-to guy with the Magic and will eventually find his niche and pick things up as well. Having three players they can turn to at any time to get a basket is a luxury not many teams have.
All five of the aforementioned players are averaging at least 3.6 assists per game, as they are keeping the ball moving and making the correct play.
This start by the Chicago Bulls is a sustainable one because they get after it defensively. As long as you can make things difficult for your opponent to score the ball, you will be in every game. Even if the Bulls’ offense has some regression to the mean, they can count on their defense to carry them to some victories.
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The only thing that may truly hold the Chicago Bulls back is their depth. Can this pace be sustained throughout an 82-game season with the little production they are currently getting from their bench? The return of Coby White will help the second unit, providing another scoring option off the bench.
Despite the lack of depth, this looks like a team that will be in the mix in the Eastern Conference for the long haul as they have found a great blend of plates that will only get better the more they share the court together.
