Subscribe
Follow Us
The Chicago Bulls aren't anywhere close to where they want to be long-term. Still, rebuilding from the ground up is an arduous process in the NBA, and any steps in the right direction deserve some measure of praise. To wit, Chicago, 18-47, is 6-5 in its last 11 games, a stretch that coincides with the acquisition of Otto Porter from the Washington Wizards.
Have the Bulls finally begun to turn a tide? Maybe. The notoriously old-school Jim Boylen, though, still believes his team can get mentally and physically tougher.
Article Continues Below“We lost because they were tougher than us in the fourth quarter,” he said after Chicago's 105-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, per the Associated Press. “That's where we've got to grow.”
Indeed, the Pacers outscored the Bulls 28-21 in the fourth quarter. Chicago shot just 7-of-22 from the field, 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, and doled out just three assists in the final stanza, too. If not for the effort of Zach LaVine, who scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter, a competitive game from the outset might have turned into a blowout win for Indiana late.
Toughness is an aspect commonly lacking in young teams, and it's not like Chicago has the veteran grinders necessary to instill that mindset in its young players. One of the reasons why the team elected against buying out Robin Lopez is the positive influence he has on his team's younger players, including fellow big men franchise cornerstone Lauri Markkanen and 2018 lottery pick Wendell Carter, Jr.
Will the Bulls get tougher by the simple virtue of time and experience? Absolutely. But personnel is of chief importance in that regard, too, and Chicago, even after shipping out Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker in the trade for Porter, could still use another dose of grit normally afforded by entrenched role players.
