The Bulls are clearly playoffs

The best news for Billy Donovan’s Bulls is that for the first time in five years they look like a real team.

The sample is very small and they are no longer undefeated, but the Chicago Bulls They have enough defensive articulation to ensure that the team will return to the playoffs after four seasons of absence, which is a huge joy for millions of fans and for the Commissioner’s office, Adam Silver.

Nearing the end of October, Bulls They are the fourth best defense in the league according to statistic that removes the biases of exceptional games, the rating of points per hundred possessions, with an index of 100, only below Miami and Utah, two of the biggest candidates in his lectures, and Minnesota, which has been a pleasant surprise.

Chicago had the offensive pieces since last season to fight any team in one night thanks to a player as complete as Nikola Vucevic, but what has changed is the degree of evolution in the system of Billy donovan with the arrival of DeMar DeRozan, which translates into chemistry and communication so that the pieces work.

It’s true that their victories are counted against low-impact teams at the start (New Orleans, Toronto and Detroit), but what they did against the Knicks is a statement of how good they can be, because New York is the fourth best. offensive by rating, and beyond that they lost the game, they contained Julius Randle to 13 points already Evan fournier to 10, neither more nor less than two of the three main scorers of the rival ignition.

While Chicago keep defending like this, the magic will happen by itself on the other side of the ball, with the aforementioned talent of Vucevic and the ability to Zach LaVine, who is about to get into the top ten scorers this season and who already had consecutive exhibitions of more than 30 units, powered by DeRozan and his mastery to attack the rim and punish with the inside shot.

The offensive versatility that Donovan has is interesting because they have not even needed the triple in high amounts to win games, however, they are focusing on being very effective, shooting above 40 percent as a team, a mark that is only surpassed by the Hornets.

Firm hands that are driven from defense with marks within the top 10 in steals and blocks and that remind us that on this team effort statistics are more important than individual efforts, because it is clear that neither LaVine, nor Vucevic, nor DeRozan will compete for him Mvp, but the team does to get as high as possible in the postseason.

That’s the best news for Bulls from Billy donovan, which for the first time in five years look like a real team and, although it is too early to throw bells flying, its defensive structure is the base on which more joys will be built, starting with a long-awaited return to the elimination series .