The Chicago Bulls are still learning how to walk.
In the infancy of their rebuild, each of their first few steps has come with a pretty significant tumble. They first fell flat on their face against the Toronto Raptors, 135-92. Following a bounceback win over the Milwaukee Bucks, they let a rancid third quarter push them back down against the Washington Wizards. Then came the beginning of a gauntlet schedule in Boston. The first two quarters provided a sense of hope, only for the more experienced Celtics to run the Bulls out of the gym.
Tiago Splitter’s team is now 1-3 with more questions than answers. In many ways, that’s just the life of a head coach for a rebuilding team. It’s his job, however, to keep searching for solutions no matter how lopsided the win-loss column becomes. The Bulls are attempting to establish an entirely new identity on both sides of the ball, and Splitter is at the forefront of that.
Speaking of which, one rare piece of good news for Splitter is that the Bulls are creating their fair share of good shots. The bad news is that this hasn’t necessarily led to better results. And, well, that underscores the talent discrepancy that this coaching staff and front office are facing.
Arguably the most telling stat for the Chicago Bulls in the early portion of this season centers around their shot diet. Cleaning the Glass tracks what they call location effective field goal percentage. They describe this as follows: “If the team shot the league average FG% from each location what would their effective field goal percentage be?”
Simply put, this gives us a better idea of how optimal the Bulls’ shot selection is compared to other teams. Are they prioritizing the right, high-percentage looks? Well, according to the database, yes! The Bulls have a 56.1 Loc eFG%, which actually ranks No. 1 in the NBA!
Chicago ranks this high because of their high frequency of corner threes and attempts in the paint. In fact, they are also No. 1 in percentage of field goal attempts at the rim. So, what’s the problem?
Despite creating these ideal attempts, the Bulls’ actual effective field goal percentage is 46.7 percent. And that ranks 29th overall. Yes, that’s right! The team with the single-best shot profile in the league is also the second-least efficient team. That’s not how that’s supposed to work, folks!
Now, a big reason for this is the Bulls’ horrific clip from behind the arc. They have taken 42.0 three-point attempts per game but have converted at just 23.8 percent. The law of averages is going to come into play and eventually improve that number. However, by how much?
If anything, what these two stats tell us is that the Bulls are lacking effective scorers and shot finishers. It’s one thing to create open threes, but it’s another to ensure that the right players are taking those shots. We can’t necessarily say that is the case right now.
These numbers can also make it a bit difficult to find the right fix. What’s Splitter going to say in the film room? You’re taking all the right shots … just please make them!
In all seriousness, Splitter was asked about his shot chart after practice on Tuesday, and he did stress the importance of creating more offensive flow.
“When we don’t touch the paint or don’t create any shifts in their defense, those are bad shots. And we’re showing and talking about those. We got to get better at that,” Splitter said. “Our shot selection overall is good in terms of where we shoot it from, but time-wise, you can always shoot a pull-up three in transition, but I think we go to touch the paint first. That’s one of the main things we got to get better.”
It’s a fair point from Splitter. The Bulls may be letting it fly from the right place on the floor, but there is still something to be said about when that shot is taken, how contested the shot is, and who is taking it. This is an area where the Bulls can improve. Especially when it comes to players like Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, you don’t want them to keep firing away from downtown at a high volume if the ball isn’t finding the bottom of the net.
Above all else, however, this just serves as another reminder that the Chicago Bulls are a major work in progress. Even if they are following the right path analytically, it’s all about who is on the floor at any given moment. This roster isn’t as talented as many others they will face, and their developmental pieces are still very much learning how to shoot effectively.
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