The Chicago Bulls are starting to come around as a team, going 3-1 this past week. In their one loss to Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers (112-105), they held their own. The time to become a Chicago Bulls fan is now.
G Zach Lavine is still torching the league and has made a strong case that he deserves to be in the All-Star game. Lavine scored 281 points over his past eight games. For reference, the only other Bulls player to ever have that many points over eight games was the GOAT himself, G Michael Jordan. Of course, Lavine is no Jordan, but he has truly become the best player on the floor.
C Wendell Carter Jr.’s return gave the Bulls a great shot in the arm this past week. The team felt his presence more than any of the backups that played in his absence. He also went up against two of the best big men in the league, Damontis Sabonis and Joel Embiid. After going up against top talent, he should put up better numbers against the rest of the league. His time on the court has also continued to increase. Saturday, he played a new high of 33 minutes against the Sacramento Kings. Soon enough, he’ll be ready for the heavy workload required to get the win.
G Coby White kept up his solid play and has finally found his groove. He has become the second offensive option on this team after Lavine. Earlier in the season, it seemed like White was unsure of where he fit on the team, but now he is back to playing with confidence. White has also contributed 19 assists over the past week.
The Bulls’ bench has been a huge factor all season, and this week was no different. The bench scored at least 33 points in three of the four games. Lavine has done some heavy lifting, but this team has become one of the more well-balanced offenses. When the Bulls were winning divisions and making the playoffs, they always had a great bench, which bodes well for this young Bulls team.
The Bulls are up and coming, and now is the time to start taking them seriously. They are killing it despite the loss of two huge contributors. F Lauri Markannen is out with a shoulder injury, and F Otto Porter is out with a back injury. Once they are back in action, this team will be golden. The Bulls had a steep mountain to climb at the beginning of the season, but now that this team has figured out their identity is, it is time to start racking up the wins.