Billy Donovan says the Chicago Bulls have got to stop playing on the edge

Donovan says it's time for the Bulls to develop an identity.

© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls' Jekyll-and-Hyde season has been frustrating for Billy Donovan and the team. It reared its ugly head once again early this week. 

After firing on all cylinders and routing the Dallas Mavericks, 144-115, the Bulls again played like they were stuck in mud against the Atlanta Hawks, resulting in a 123-122 overtime loss. Donovan was visibly frustrated with the team's effort after the loss, and he made it clear that changes needed to be made if the Bulls were going to take a step forward.

Consistent inconsistencies

The Bulls shot the lights out from three in a win against the Mavs—they hit 19 of their 34 three-point attempts. And while it's naive to think Chicago can keep that standard of long-range shooting moving forward, it's also clear that the team needs to be more consistent at moving the ball and searching the open man rather than playing isolation basketball.

"That's the consistency part for our team," said Donovan. "I know I keep saying the same thing: We get unbelievable ball movement offensively last night (against Dallas), and then we come back and (need to) play to that identity, and we didn't pass or move the ball enough."

Making it rain ☔️

All 19 threes (season-high) we hit against Dallas. pic.twitter.com/XDrE1zwoTW

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 11, 2022

Tendency to rely on "hero ball"

DeMar DeRozan is (almost) always there to save the day when the tough gets going for the Bulls. As an All-Star veteran of many battles, DeRozan has the skill set to take over games in clutch situations.

However, Donovan believes that it's not the best way for his team to operate, and he wants them to rely on ball movement to get open shots rather than hero ball.

"DeMar last year was making these heroic game-winning shots," Donovan noted. "And you know what now hasn't happened? That was one of my points last year when we won eight or nine in a row and I said, 'Listen, I can see where this is going.'"

"We are digging ourselves out of a double-digit hole. And at that point in time, anything can happen. And some of the fortunes of DeMar throwing a shot in like he did last year and some of the 39, 40-point performances carrying us, it's hard to live like that. You've got to live by trying to establish a team and group identity of how we've got to play," the Bulls' head coach said.