Guard Alex Caruso wasn’t about to muck his hand just yet.
The Bulls’ roster has flaws, but he deems them mostly correctable.
“I think it’s been different [issues] depending on matchups,’’ Caruso said after another loss in a disappointing 11-16 start to the season.
And that’s the frustration.
The Bulls have been a mid-tier rebounding team but watched the Knicks embarrass them on the boards Wednesday, grabbing 48 to the Bulls’ 31.
They’ve been a much better defensive team than they were at the end of last season, sitting eighth in defensive efficiency, but just over two weeks ago, they allowed Suns star Devin Booker to light them up for 51 points in three quarters of a blowout loss.
They entered Thursday third in pace per game but far too often have watched the offense bog down in crucial situations.
Caruso says they have to stay focused on the details for 48 minutes.
But there are some flaws that aren’t so easy to correct: outside shooting, toughness in the frontcourt. But the real problem starts at point guard and the realization that Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery) won’t be back anytime soon and could be out for the rest of the season.
The Bulls won’t rule him out for the season publicly, but the concern inside the Advocate Center has been growing lately, especially with Ball still stuck on the same steps in the rehab process.
Then factor in that second-year point guard Ayo Dosunmu is sidelined with an abdominal bruise but also is experiencing some growing pains at the position, and some tough conversations might need to take place if executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas wants to salvage this “continuity’’ project by the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
There’s a reason why the Bulls are a league-worst 3-11 in clutch games, and a lot of it has to do with the lack of a true court general when games are on the line.
Goran Dragic has done a good job running the point off the bench but is 36 and hasn’t been used consistently in those spots.
In the overtime against the Knicks, coach Billy Donovan continued to employ a point guard-by-committee approach and watched his offense score only three points.
“What I’ve tried to do coming down the stretch, and we’ve tried to work on this, is have different guys back there based on the different actions because that’s where we’re at,’’ Donovan said. “There are times I’ve put Zach [LaVine] back there, there are times I’ve put Ayo back there, Alex is back there, just different guys handling based on the different set we’re running at that time.
“When I was at Oklahoma City my last year with Chris Paul, you know, he was the guy every single time.’’
They don’t have “the guy’’ to do that, and even if Ball returns in the second half, his health will remain a concern.
“There’s no question that with Ayo out and Lonzo out, there are depth issues with the hand that we’re dealt,’’ Donovan said. “There hasn’t been anything of, ‘Hey, we’re going to go out and try to find a point guard.’ I imagine that Arturas is looking at everything as it relates to our entire roster.’’
He had better be.
