The Chicago Bulls have been firing on all cylinders to start the new NBA season. They're the first team to three wins, going 3-0 with an average margin of victory at 12.3 thus far.
While they've only played the Zion-less New Orleans Pelicans and the Cade Cunningham-less Detroit Pistons twice, it's still impressive that they've been able to take care of business without much fuss. Surprisingly, they've hung their hat on the defensive end more than anything.
The sample size is obviously minuscule at this point, but the Bulls rank third in the league at turnovers forced (19.0) and fourth in defensive rating through their first three games. Forcing turnovers and misses has been key to jumpstarting the Bulls' transition attack, which according to guard Alex Caruso has been deadly.
Via KC Johnson:
Alex Caruso on his, and the Bulls', defensive mindset: “Just try to be a pest, blow up plays. Get deflections. Anything to start the break. Because when we’re in transition, you all have seen: We’re really lethal. We got a lot of options.”
The Chicago Bulls have several offensive weapons in Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. But they've surprisingly been just as zoned in on the other side of the floor. The additions of Caruso and Lonzo Ball, plus the renewed focus from the rest of the roster has all contributed to making Chicago a two-way team through three games.
Alex Caruso didn’t know he had five steals tonight until @KCJHoop notified him at postgame presser
Reaction? “Nice.”
Added he doesn’t typically look at stat sheet after wins
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) October 24, 2021
It remains to be seen if the Bulls will be able to keep up their defensive intensity, especially when their level of competition rises in the coming weeks. But the early returns have certainly been promising.
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