The Chicago Bulls are 39-23 on the season, which is good for second place in the Eastern Conference. However, a troubling trend has emerged: a consistent failure to beat top teams.
The Bulls dropped to 6-15 against teams in the top six from both conferences after an ugly road loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night. Chicago was blitzed by the home team from the start and ultimately got run off the court in the third quarter before settling on a more respectable 112-99 final score.
While the Bulls have struggled to beat the top competition, All-Star DeMar DeRozan isn't worried. The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry relayed the blunt response from the veteran:
“I’m not concerned at all,” he said.
The Bulls star then delved into exactly why he's not concerned:
“What for?” DeRozan asked. “I’ve just got the utmost confidence in the guys. I do. In myself and the guys. As these next couple of weeks go by, being able to get guys back, that’s going to be another second wind for us. Emotionally. Physically. And just even more change the spirit of the team once we get those guys back. Even before those guys come back, I’m not worried. But I know once those guys come back, the energy in this team is definitely going to heighten even more just to have those guys back.”
Chicago is in line to get a number of key players back from long-term injury absences this month, including Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams. Those three players, especially Caruso and Ball, are crucial cogs on defense, which has been a major sore spot for the Bulls of late.
While it's clear Chicago needs these guys back to be an elite team, it's still troubling to see them not often even be competitive against the top competition. There have been some unique circumstances, but the Bulls are running out of time and excuses. They just have to hope those guys come back strong and they can make a big push into the playoffs.
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