Notes from the Bulls' 115-117 loss to the Lakers
Didn't develop all 15 guys, but also didn't blow a massive fourth quarter lead
Bear with me for a moment while I apply my cliche yet accurate “moral victory” label to the Bulls in their loss against the Lakers on Friday.
Remember that in their contest at around the same point in the schedule last year, Jim Boylen allowed a 13 point lead late in the game to evaporate without calling any timeouts or subbing in starters. His justification postgame is archived forever in my Jim Boylen Quote Machine.
The Bulls may not have developed all 15 guys, but they did fight hard. The Lakers’ lead ballooned to 12 with eight minutes to go, and they would have collapsed at this point last year. Instead, rookie Patrick Williams led the way with great defense on LeBron James down the stretch.
Williams struggled against LeBron early on and did get bulldozed on a layup with under a minute to go. But you could see him growing more comfortable with guarding James as the game wore on.
Along with the good team and individual fourth quarter defense, Garrett Temple made some big 3’s to allow the Bulls a chance to win at the end. Unfortunately, Zach LaVine missed the game-winner on a tough contested fadeaway jumper. LaVine had some bad shot selection and botched defensive rotations to close, spoiling what was otherwise a brilliant 38-point performance from him.
Wendell Carter Jr. was the other bright note of this game, continuing his strong play from the night before against the Kings. He had the play of the game.
The thought of Carter as a stretch big man is pretty much out the door this season, but he has become a lot more comfortable with his midrange jumper. And the biggest obstacle for him, his confidence, seems to be on the rise. His comments postgame were encouraging, as written by Sam Smith from Bulls.com.
"I got more aggressive on offense and took my shots. I made a commitment to my team that I will do better because I am gifted, as gifted as I am on defense as I am on offense. I just have to take my shots and I hit them. Sometimes I am the best option and I need to take my shots. I did tonight."
Teams have been blitzing LaVine for the past two years, and Carter should get plenty of opportunities to create in the short roll in those situations. His numbers have been vastly improved over the past three games, where he’s averaging 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Carter also continued his strong play defensively. It’s been largely forgotten that he was the anchor of the Bulls’ surprising defense last year. When he was out in the second half of the season, they collapsed as a unit.
Carter has received a ton of criticism this year, but he continues to be a very steady team defender and follow the drop scheme that the coaching staff has laid out.
One of the most important ways that big man can impact games is by preventing layup attempts from ever occurring. I highlighted some of his plays from this game to show how he does that.
Also worth mentioning: Coby White, who might be the streakiest player in the league, going right at Alex Caruso in the second quarter.
Stacey King telling the viewers that “headbands aren’t for everyone” made the Caruso roasting even more delightful.
Moving on, the vets deserve a shout out for continuing their steadying presence. They’ve kept these games winnable down the stretch, where Billy Donovan has leaned on them heavily.
Otto Porter has been one of the best players this year, although he is predictably hurt again with back spasms taking him out after the first quarter last night. Ricky O’Donnell suggested to me that Temple has already earned that $5 million deal, and I agree. Thad Young has also had a resurgence this season. Up an down the roster, these guys have been playing so much better when placed in roles that make sense for them.
Send this clip to every general manager for a playoff team, because Young can still help a contender.
Zooming out for a second, it seems to me that the Bulls have overperformed up to this point of the year, especially given that they’ve been one of the hardest hit teams due to the COVID protocols. We’ve started to see the younger players like Carter and White finding their comfort zone, Williams has continued to show some flash of special every game, LaVine has been a scoring monster, and they’ve kept games close at the end.
These games have been fun to watch, and it hasn’t been nearly as hard for me this year to pick out these bits and pieces of growth to share with you all.
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That analysis of Carter was helpful. It's probably recency bias, but on Carter's defense what came to mind was a play Stacey King called out where Carter was hanging way too far back in the restricted area while Harrel came up to set a pick for LeBron, allowing LeBron to get a full head of steam and an and-1 on a layup instead of allowing Harrel space at the 3 point arc and coming up to stop LeBron at the perimeter.
It's good to see the stats prove he is still very good at protecting the paint despite the forgivable occasional lapses. Nobody plays perfect.