DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 09: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls smiles during the second quarter of the NBA game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on May 09, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls: 3 lessons learned from the 2020-21 season
Chicago Bulls. Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
2. Thaddeus Young made a surprising leap for the Chicago Bulls
For 13 seasons, Thaddeus Young provided the five teams he has played for with solid, high-end-role-player-level production. In 2020-21, the journeyman forward became a vital part of this Bulls team.
How vital depends on which impact metric you use. RAPTOR (a team-leading 4.7) viewed Young as the most valuable member of the team, though much of that is due to RAPTOR’s unfavorable view of Zach LaVine’s defense. Other stats such as Box Plus/Minus (3.2), Estimated Plus/Minus (2.4), and LEBRON (0.91) weren’t as rosy on him, but they still recognized what he brings to the team on both sides of the floor.
Defensively, Young’s value varies, though it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. He shouldn’t be a team’s first (or second) choice as a rim protector (34th percentile in rim deterrence, per BBall Index [subscription required], 45th percentile in defensive FG percentage at the rim vs. expectation), and having him mark guards isn’t ideal, but RAPTOR, EPM, and BPM are more bullish on his D than LEBRON and Real Adjusted Plush/Minus, so the answer is likely somewhere in between.
His production on offense is easier to explain. After a weird 2019-20 where he shot the highest rate of 3’s in his career, Young got back to doing most of his damage in the paint this, and his return to form on the block (67.8 percent between 0-3 feet and 50.5 percent between 3-10 feet, both up from 60.1 and 41.3, respectively) was accompanied by his improvements as a playmaker.
Finishing the season with a career-high 27.1 assist rate and placing in the 83rd percentile in Box Creation and 79th percentile in scoring gravity (outpacing what he did in 2019-20), Young more than earned the “Thadgic Johnson” moniker that Bulls color analyst Stacey King bestowed upon him.
Of course, suggesting that Young is Magic Johnson errs heavily on the side of hyperbole. Still, it’s pretty neat seeing him make the defense pay for sending help.
Young’s work this past season could make him an intriguing trade chip, but most Bulls fans probably wouldn’t mind seeing him back in 2021-22.
<p>Young’s work this past season could make him an intriguing trade chip, but most Bulls fans probably wouldn’t mind seeing him back in 2021-22.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426641" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-426641" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1308482662.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1308482662.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1308482662-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>1. Zach LaVine took finally became an All-Star with the Chicago Bulls</h2> <p>On the surface, Zach LaVine’s 2020-21 season doesn’t seem that different from his previous seasons with the Bulls. He still scored a lot, ranking ninth in the league in points per 100 possessions. His playmaking and gravity remained steady and near the upper-tier of the league. Turnovers were still a problem. Most advanced metrics still rated him as a terrible defender. This time around, though, it was enough to get LaVine his first All-Star nod.</p> <p>A few factors outside of his play likely helped get him there. Unlike the previous three seasons, the Bulls were competitive and stayed in playoff contention. Plus, in a departure from the Boylen-led Bulls, the team looked like a competent offensive team for most of the year. That said, LaVine also stepped up his game, becoming a more efficient scorer across the board (career-highs in true shooting and effective field goal percentage). This wasn’t empty-calorie stuffing, either: Chicago’s offense improved by 6.4 points per 100 with LaVine on the floor.</p> <div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1IJFq0YNb8?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <p>None of this will make those who think LaVine isn’t a franchise centerpiece from changing their minds, but hopefully, those folks can at least admit that he has established himself as one of the best offensive players in the league.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA: Playing smoke or fire with superstar trades" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/05/nba-smoke-fire-superstar-trade-rumors/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/05/nba-smoke-fire-superstar-trade-rumors/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA: Playing smoke or fire with superstar trades </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">!["Chicago](https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2018%2F08%2F15827428.jpeg")
Chicago Bulls</a> fans hoped that the start of the next chapter in the franchise’s now-55-year history would set the tone for a brighter future.</p>
<p>Whether or not they cleared that benchmark depends on how you viewed this season.</p>
<p>Finishing with a 31-41 record in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/chicago-bulls/">Bulls finished under .500 and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, a fact that’s all the more disappointing when factoring in the significant mid-season trade they made to at least reach the play-in tournament. On the other end, that the Bulls played well enough to remain in the playoff hunt (and to necessitate that trade) can be seen as progress for a franchise that needed to see a speck of it.</p>
<h2>This past season was an uneven one for the Chicago Bulls, as the team gave fans equal reason for hope and concern heading into next year.</h2>
<p>Again, when discussing a team that finished where the Bulls did, there’s plenty of good and bad to dissect. For now, let’s focus on the top three.</p>
<h2>3. The Chicago Bulls’ defense…..somehow wasn’t terrible?</h2>
<p>Given who was on this roster this year, it wouldn’t have shocked anyone if the Bulls had ranked near the bottom in defense. With wings and guards that range from “huh, not as bad as I thought” to “yikes” defensively and no real rim protector, this is usually the recipe for opponents to feast.</p>
<p>But, astonishingly, that didn’t happen; the Bulls ranked 11th in defensive rating, and the 112.0 points they allowed per 100 possessions sat 0.3 points below the league average for 2020-21. Sure, that’s probably more of an indicator of how sophisticated and hard to stop NBA offenses have become more than any sort of stinginess on defense, but hey, there were 19 other teams who had a harder time figuring things out on the less glamorous end, so that should count for something.</p>
<p>So, how did the Bulls achieve this? Well, for starters, they didn’t give up a bunch of 3-point attempts, allowing just 32.2 attempts per 100 possessions (fifth-best in the league), which is considered a better indicator of good defense than mere shooting percentage.</p>
<p>Consequently, this meant that they allowed the bulk of opponents’ attempts at the rim and from mid-range. Surprisingly, Chicago handled the close shots well (ninth in opponent’s field goal percentage inside the restricted area) but struggled with ones from further out (27th in defending the non-RA paint and second to last in defending the mid-range, percentage-wise). Hey, they finished 11th, not first; clearly, this defense still had its flaws.</p>
<p>Overall, though, it wasn’t as bad as many would’ve thought.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_426597" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img class="size-full wp-image-426597" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1308481714.jpeg" alt="Thaddeus Young, Chicago Bulls" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1308481714.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1308481714-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls. Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>2. Thaddeus Young made a surprising leap for the Chicago Bulls</h2>
<p>For 13 seasons, Thaddeus Young provided the five teams he has played for with solid, high-end-role-player-level production. In 2020-21, the journeyman forward became a vital part of this Bulls team.</p>
<p>How vital depends on which impact metric you use. RAPTOR (a team-leading 4.7) viewed Young as the most valuable member of the team, though much of that is due to RAPTOR’s unfavorable view of Zach LaVine’s defense. Other stats such as Box Plus/Minus (3.2), Estimated Plus/Minus (2.4), and LEBRON (0.91) weren’t as rosy on him, but they still recognized what he brings to the team on both sides of the floor.</p>
<p>Defensively, Young’s value varies, though it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. He shouldn’t be a team’s first (or second) choice as a rim protector (34th percentile in rim deterrence, per BBall Index [<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://www.bball-index.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscription required</a>], 45th percentile in defensive FG percentage at the rim vs. expectation), and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?GameEventID=482&GameID=0022000637&Season=2020-21&flag=1&title=Murray%2027%27%203PT%20Step%20Back%20Jump%20Shot%20(15%20PTS)&sct=plot%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">having him mark guards isn’t ideal</a>, but RAPTOR, EPM, and BPM are more bullish on his D than LEBRON and Real Adjusted Plush/Minus, so the answer is likely somewhere in between.</p>
<p>His production on offense is easier to explain. After a weird 2019-20 where he shot the highest rate of 3’s in his career, Young got back to doing most of his damage in the paint this, and his return to form on the block (67.8 percent between 0-3 feet and 50.5 percent between 3-10 feet, both up from 60.1 and 41.3, respectively) was accompanied by his improvements as a playmaker.</p>
<p>Finishing the season with a career-high 27.1 assist rate and placing in the 83rd percentile in Box Creation and 79th percentile in scoring gravity (outpacing what he did in 2019-20), Young more than earned the “Thadgic Johnson” moniker that Bulls color analyst Stacey King bestowed upon him.</p>
<p>Of course, suggesting that Young is Magic Johnson errs heavily on the side of hyperbole. Still, it’s pretty neat seeing him make the defense pay for sending help.</p>
<div style="width: 640px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-430636-2" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/09/chicago-bulls-3-takeaways-2020-21-season/2/"https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2021/01/30/0022000298/558/9e54b3e2-1548-b013-4b26-55c542fe915c_1280x720.mp4?_=2%22>
