Bulls defense turning it around and they may have a rookie to thank
Asked a few weeks ago how the Bulls could improve their defense, guard Lonzo Ball initially gave a one-word answer: “Effort.”
He wasn’t wrong, but he also wasn’t 100% accurate. There’s another reason the Bulls have had the sixth-best defensive efficiency rating (114.1) in the NBA in December.
Actually, make that six reasons: the Nets, Spurs, Pacers, 76ers, Hornets and Raptors.
Those were the Bulls’ six opponents so far this month, and not one is in the top half of the league in offensive efficiency for the month. In fact, the Nets and Hornets are in the bottom four.
So, yes, the Bulls’ effort has been better, but so has the schedule. And they still have the third-easiest schedule left this season.
Why is this defensive improvement — schedule or not — suddenly important? For the Bulls as a whole or their place in the standings, it’s not, necessarily. But greater individual focus on defense is priceless in the development of a player such as rookie forward Matas Buzelis, who’s embracing it as part of his role.
Individual defensive efficiency can be a subjective and misleading statistic. Ball (112.5) leads the Bulls in it, and there’s no argument about his defensive abilities. But guard Josh Giddey is fifth (116), and there have been far too many blow-bys from opposing guards to come away thinking Giddey is a top-five defender on the team.
Buzelis, however, is third (114.7) and feels like an up-and-coming force in the frontcourt defensively. He has become more physical, and within a few seasons, there’s no reason he can’t be an elite rim protector, given his athleticism and ability to react on backside help.
Several scouts have compared Buzelis to former Jazz standout Andrei Kirilenko, who was an inch shorter at 6-9 but built similarly. He led the NBA in blocks (3.3 per game) in 2005 and was a three-time All-NBA defender.
Even as a rookie, Kirilenko flashed promise as a rim protector, averaging 1.9 blocks in 26.2 minutes. Over the Bulls’ last six games, Buzelis, has averaged 1.3 blocks in about 19 minutes. That’s something the Bulls could build on as they figure out how to navigate the rest of the season.
Bulls fans should prepare for a scenario in which the front office finds it can’t move trade assets such as Ball, center Nikola Vucevic and guard Zach LaVine, as hard as it may try, and has to focus on what could be an elite 2026 draft class instead of the loaded 2025 class.
After Monday night’s victory in Toronto, the Bulls are 12-15 — the 10th-worst record in the NBA. If they finish the season outside the top 10, their 2025 first-round pick goes to the Spurs. If they stay at 10th, they only have a 3% chance to land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery, a 13.9% chance to be in the top four, a 65.9% chance to stay at No. 10, and a 19% chance to fall to No. 11.
In the meantime, making sure Buzelis continues developing on both offense and defense is key.