The Chicago Bulls' 2022-23 campaign appears to have hit its rock bottom. With DeMar DeRozan out due to injury, the odds were already stacked against the Bulls for their Thursday night matchup against the red-hot Milwaukee Bucks. And surely enough, the Bulls proceeded to lose their sixth straight game – and Zach LaVine simply could hide his frustration over their languid play no longer.
Speaking with reporters following the Bulls' dispiriting 112-100 loss to the Bucks at home, LaVine expressed his exasperation over their struggles as of late that have led to them falling out of the play-in spots. The two-time All-Star said that they would have to figure out how to snap out of their rut on their own, all the while maintaining belief that his teammates have the mental fortitude to overcome their present situation.
“We’re not just throwing in the towel. I don’t think we have the type of team to do that. Losing hurts. Everybody is frustrated. But we’re doing our jobs every day. We’re the ones who have to figure it out. Nobody else is,” LaVine said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
One source of frustration for Zach LaVine, in particular, is that he thinks the Bulls don't have an ironclad identity to fall back on when the going gets rough. LaVine specifically feels like the Bulls have become rather rudderless on offense – inexcusable given the offensive skill present on the team.
“Even if some guys are in and out of the lineup, you see some teams that have consistency with what they do. They have an identity. I think that's something we're still trying to figure out in these last couple years,” LaVine added, per Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score.
The Bulls currently rank 24th in the league in offensive rating. Their three-point shooting in their current losing skid has been downright atrocious. And there doesn't seem to be any quick fixes available for them at present.
Could adding Russell Westbrook off the buyout market help nudge the Bulls towards having a concrete identity? Perhaps. But one thing's for sure: wholesale changes could come soon for an identity-less team going nowhere fast.
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