![\"Bulls](\"https:\/\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2023\/05\/Billy-Donovan-USAT.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675\")
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ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 The Bulls must continue to live by the 95% rule.<\/p>\n
If they do that, coach Billy Donovan<\/b> likes their odds night in and night out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality of it is that most of these guys, 95% of the game, they\u2019re playing without the ball in their hands,\u201d Donovan said Saturday. \u201cThey don\u2019t need to be waiting to get the ball back in their hands. There are other things they can be doing to impact the game. [Former Bulls guard Alex<\/b>] Caruso <\/b>did it for us at a really high level, and I think Isaac<\/b> [Okoro<\/b>] will do it for us. But I think for our guys being young, too, they have to understand that we don\u2019t have a lot of guys that can play with the ball in their hands and that can make plays, be these elite, high-level scorers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for them to carve out a niche in the NBA and have a long career, they\u2019ve really got to understand that they have to embrace that 95% that they don\u2019t have the ball in their hands in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Center Nikola Vucevic<\/b> had a good suggestion: Keep making cuts offensively.<\/p>\n
The Bulls flipped the script on their offensive philosophy last season, going from midrange and methodical to pace and space.<\/p>\n
Vucevic believes the next step in the offense\u2019s growth is the constant cutting that has been featured in the preseason and through the first two regular-season games as well as the addition of the right personnel to execute that style.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe league in general is doing a lot of off-ball movements, especially with bigs being able to pass and stretch the floor, and it opens up so many more opportunities,\u201d Vucevic said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we talk a lot about. The additions of Tre<\/b> [Jones<\/b>] and Kevin<\/b> [Huerter<\/b>] last year and Okoro this year, they\u2019re really good cutters, so it adds to our offense.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it comes in flurries.<\/p>\n
The Bulls had 29 assists in the season-opening victory against the Pistons, including 10 in the first quarter alone. Against the Magic on Saturday, the Bulls weren\u2019t necessarily finishing well at the rim early, but they were cutting and at least giving themselves a chance in building a first-half lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re all moving and we stick to the offense, it\u2019s going to make us really hard to guard,\u201d Vucevic said. \u201cSo we have to stick to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tough love<\/b><\/p>\n
Donovan has had to answer a lot of questions about the way he has coached second-year forward Matas Buzelis <\/b>since his rookie season. He reiterated before the game that there has been a method to his madness.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayers can tell when you\u2019re not being authentic or being yourself,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cI think when you talk to any player when they come in, especially when they\u2019re new, whether it\u2019s a draft pick or [acquired] like [Okoro], it\u2019s, \u2018Hey, what\u2019s the best way to communicate with you?\u2019 For Matas, it was, \u2018Listen, just stay on me, stay on me and help me in the areas I need to get better at.\u2019 There\u2019s a fine line. I think coaching is constant confrontation, but it\u2019s not necessarily yelling and screaming. It\u2019s confronting the things that you need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under construction<\/b><\/p>\n
Donovan is still experimenting with the rotation, flirting with going 10 or 11 deep on a nightly basis. In the win over the Pistons, he played 10; against the Magic, he played a rotation of 11.<\/p>\n
Rookie Noa Essengue<\/b> and veteran guard Jevon Carter <\/b>have been the odd men out.<\/p>\n Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Bulls reporter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Bulls have the pace and space of the offensive identity down. Now the players need to understand what to do when the ball isn’t in their hands. Nikola Vucevic has a suggestion: Keep cutting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":114381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n\n<\/div>\n\nJoe Cowley<\/h4>\n