The Chicago Bulls emphasized better defensive effort this season, but did not show it on the court against the Denver Nuggets in Tuesday’s preseason action. The Bulls had an abysmal defensive showing, surrendering 124 points (104 in the first three quarters) to the Nuggets, including 41 free throws. As a whole, the team’s physicality and hustle were not strong enough to slow down the Nuggets in any meaningful way.
A standout weakness for the Bulls was screen navigation. Perimeter players did an exceptionally poor job of getting around screens, which often put slow-footed center Nikola Vucevic in inopportune positions. Vooch was frequently left in no man’s land trying to guard both the screener and the roller (multi-time MVP Nikola Jokić). This led to some easy blow-bys for guards or simple plays for Jokic in the short roll.
Chicago’s defense underwhelmed against Denver
The Bulls looked better on defense earlier in the preseason but going up against an elite offensive team with a complete lineup was too much for their roster. Their team-wide defensive effort will need to be much better to elevate the defense to a respectable level. Vucevic’s weaknesses as a defender are well known at this point in his career, so his teammates will need to make an extra effort to put him in positions to succeed as an anchor rather than having his weaknesses exploited.
Sometimes, it appeared that the Bulls were opting to switch when players were hit with solid screens. However, this strategy does not work very well when Vucevic is switched onto a quick guard like Jamal Murray, which did happen on one play. It also doesn’t work when defensive communication is lackluster, and neither player is aware of the switch taking place.
Additionally, the Bulls were undisciplined on far too many defensive possessions. Chicago fouled too often, partially stemming from their inability to stop opposing ball handlers before they got all the way to the rim. But the Bulls also had a few fouls on jump shots, which speaks to a lack of awareness and otherwise poor defensive coaching.
In truth, the Bulls even got pretty lucky this game. Despite giving the Nuggets plenty of solid looks from the outside, they were not the victims of a three-point barrage. Instead, Denver only shot 9-of-33 from downtown. Still, the Bulls’ numerous defensive mistakes were bad enough to dig a hole they couldn’t get out of.
The Bulls continued to see a ton of offensive upside in this game, especially from young building blocks—Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. Both had very efficient 20-plus point outings and put on a show in transition. Yet the team’s defensive woes still need to be addressed, and their ceiling will always be capped until that half of the game is fixed.
