The Chicago Bulls had a tough time adjusting to Jim Boylen's defensive system through the start of the season, but center Wendell Carter Jr. admits he and his teammates have come to grips with it, understanding the premise of it.

“I feel like we’ve all bought into the scheme,” said Carter, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “It was a new thing for us once Jim became the head coach. It was tough for us at first. Everybody didn’t understand the whole premise of the defense. But everyone understands it now. The defense is just to protect everybody on the court, from the bigs to the guards.”

The Bulls have a defensive rating of 99.8 in December, just 0.4 behind the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks, which has now vaulted them to fourth-best rating on the season. Their 104.2 overall defensive rating trails only the Bucks’ 101.3, Denver Nuggets’ 104 and the Toronto Raptors’ 104.1.

“We just continue to practice,” said Carter, who leads the team in rebounds with 9.8 per game. “I feel like we’re not perfect yet, but I feel like each and every day we work on it we get better and better.”

Boylen had his share of struggles teaching his defensive scheme at the start of the season, but he's seen his team progress through each game.

“We’ve improved defensively from the first week of the season,” said Boylen. “I give the credit to the guys and my staff. We’ve worked very hard at it. Our guys are committed to it. They’ve taken pride in it. They’ve honored their mistakes and improved.

“I want us to be a defensive team. It’s very important to me. And I think the Chicago Bulls need to be a defensive team. I think it’s important for the city and for who we are.”

The Bulls are still waiting for the offense to catch up to the defensive prowess. If they manage to do so before the halfway point of the season, they can surprise a few teams once their shots start falling.