INDIANAPOLIS — There was progress made Wednesday against the Pacers.
Then again, the Bulls defense on pick-and-rolls could really only go up at this point.
The Pistons and Bulls came into the night the two worst teams in the league at defending pick-and-rolls. That’s why opposing teams have been giving the Bulls a steady diet of it the last few weeks, even more than usual.
The breaking point appeared to be the Dallas game on Monday, where it became four quarters of a lay-up line.
And while centers Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond are easy targets to point the finger at, coach Billy Donovan made it clear that they weren’t the only culprits.
First of all, this Bulls roster — even when it was at full strength this season — was not built to protect the rim. Need evidence of that? Guard Alex Caruso leads them in blocks with 1.1 per game.
Secondly, Vucevic and Drummond aren’t exactly putting together workout videos on the agility ladder. So on the higher pick-and-rolls, if the screen isn’t attacked properly, both Drummond and Vucevic often appear caught in no man’s land too high up in the paint.
Donovan agreed that if fixes aren’t made soon, the pick-and-rolls thrown at them will only be amped up.
“It’s kind of been like that the last couple years,” Donovan said. “Not to rehash this but when Lonzo (Ball) and Alex went out (in the 2021-22 season) our defense took a huge dive at the rim, and that’s the most valuable shot because that’s where fouls take place, where offensive rebounds take place, where spray-outs take place, so you really got to protect the paint. It’s not the threes that kill you, it’s the other stuff. It’s the transition, it’s the offensive rebounds, it’s the layups.”
Donovan would rather give up the three-pointer right now than not have the backside defender come over and help on drives to the basket, but that isn’t always happening.
Dallas had nine layups in the first quarter alone on Monday.
“What would help is we’ve got to be better on the ball blowing up some of the pick-and-rolls, our decision making at the point of the screen – sometimes going under is a good choice instead of going over based on where the screen is being set,” Donovan said. “I think our hand activity on the ball is really critical, so if you’re playing against (James) Harden or (Tyrese) Haliburton or (Luka) Doncic, those guys are such elite passers. If your hands are down and you’re not disrupting passes at all it makes it really hard to rotate and close out.”
Vucevic did a better job on several first-quarter switches against the Pacers and White also appeared to play with more physicality at the point of the screen, but it remained too inconsistent.
Donovan did continue to also mix up the defensive coverages, but the bottom line was the Bulls will continue to get attacked this way over the final 16 games if it’s not cleaned up.
Foot locker
The last thing the Bulls need at this point of the season is another foot injury, already losing Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams to season-ending foot surgeries, and Torrey Craig missing almost two months with plantar fasciitis.
So when rookie Julian Phillips appeared on the morning injury report questionable with a sore right foot, it was an uh-oh moment.
The good news was it cleared and he played against the Pacers.
“They treated him and felt better,” Donovan said. “Certainly, if it lingers on after (Wednesday) they’ll treat it more.”
