Televisions off? Not for Bulls coach Jim Boylen, struggles and all

There is a similarity between Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky and Bulls coach Jim Boylen these days: Neither will be winning any popularity contests in Chicago anytime soon.

But while Trubisky is worried about outside noise and too many talking heads on TV sets, Boylen remains unfazed.

‘‘Is that what happened?’’ Boylen said when he was told last week about Trubisky wanting the TVs turned off throughout Halas Hall. ‘‘I have Netflix, man. I can watch what I want.’’

That’s why Boylen didn’t flinch when he was asked Saturday whether he should rethink the Bulls’ offensive philosophy after their embarrassing 117-94 loss to the Rockets.

The loss dropped the Bulls to 3-7. They shot 4-for-32 from three-point range and rank 26th in the NBA in three-point percentage (.313) this season.

‘‘To come in here and think I’m going to change my system or change what we’ve been doing, it’s not what I’m about,’’ Boylen said afterward.

Something has to change, however. If it’s not the philosophy on offense, then it’s the players carrying it out.

The ongoing storyline since the offseason has been guard Zach LaVine and big man Lauri Markkanen taking the next step forward, with stardom somewhere in their future. It hasn’t even been close to that.

The game against the Rockets was just another example of how inconsistent the two have been. LaVine finished with 11 points on 5-for-17 shooting and didn’t score in the second half.

‘‘[My frustration] is always high, especially when we lose,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘I don’t like losing. And when they pile up, it doesn’t help, either. I didn’t have the night I wanted. I don’t think I scored in the second half. I always look at myself, but it’s frustrating. But I’ll be OK.’’

LaVine said he thinks the offense will be OK, too. What is he counting on? That the three-point shooting will turn around as players get back to their career averages.

‘‘We practice them as much as we can,’’ he said. ‘‘How many did we make [against the Rockets], two or three? Four? That’s obviously not good enough. You’ve got to trust it. I’ll get in the gym and shoot. You’ve got to trust it’s going to go in.’’

The Bulls also have to trust that Markkanen isn’t as bad as he has looked this season. He shot 43.4 percent from the field as a rookie and 43 percent last season. He shot 36.2 percent from three-point range as a rookie and 36.1 percent last season.

It only has been 10 games, but Markkanen — who shot 3-for-10 against the Rockets — looks completely lost in the Bulls’ new offense. He is shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from three-point range and is averaging almost four points per game less than last season.

Markkanen keeps insisting it will turn around as he finds his way in the offense, but no one knows when.

‘‘Sometimes when it’s a tough shooting night and maybe the ball isn’t going down for you — I’m going to look at it [on film] — maybe you’ve gotta start putting that baby on the floor and creating and going by people,’’ Boylen said. ‘‘But Lauri’s not the only reason we got our butt kicked.’’

That’s what’s scary about the Bulls’ start: Markkanen just tops that list of reasons.