On Sunday, the Chicago Bulls sustained yet another loss, 114-104 to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. As a result, the Bulls are now 10-15, a far cry from a strong 6-1 start to the season.
After the game, head coach Billy Donovan will likely turn heads with his post-game analysis, per Sam Smith of NBA.com. Essentially, even though they lost again to one of the worst teams in the league, Donovan saw some positives.
“I felt like we played the right way; I really did,” Donovan said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well. The way we played tonight (however) is a sustainable style because even though we shot the ball incredibly poorly, we gave ourselves a chance. As poorly as we shot (seeing a trend here?), and them making a couple late, we were there. We’re going to have to find ways to win games in the mud when we don’t shoot it well. I thought defensively we tried to compete and gave ourselves a chance.”
Sunday marked the second loss of the season to the Pelicans. On Nov. 24, they lost 143-130 on the road. Ironically, Donovan laid bare the reality of the Bulls' struggles after that loss.
Now he has a complete change of heart.
Coby White led the way with 20 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Kevin Huerter scored 16 points and four three-pointers. Nikola Vucevic came away with 12 points and eight rebounds. Josh Giddey scored 11 points with seven rebounds and five assists.
Matas Buzelis and Dalen Terry each scored 9 points. Patrick Williams added 8 points. Tre Jones and Jalen Smith scored six points, and Isaac Okoro scored five points.
A complete overview of the criticisms of Billy Donovan's tenure as head coach of the Bulls
Lately, Donovan has certainly come under fire for his coaching abilities. Several factors contribute to this, including continued mediocre play, questionable player development, defensive inexperience, and team chemistry issues.
Since becoming the head coach in 2020, the Bulls have mostly been below .500 and have not made the playoffs. Also, some of the newbies haven't developed into players with real potential to lead.
Recently, draft pick Noa Essengue's season ended due to shoulder surgery. Plus, the Bulls remain a poor defensive team overall, even with players like Jones and Okoro. They give up too many rebounds, points in the paint, and second-chance points.
Then, while Donovan claims the team chemistry is solid, others aren't buying it, given the team's performance.
