Chicago Bulls need rim protection, says report

The Bulls' paint protection remains subpar.

Bringing the very same core back for another run at the NBA Playoffs means the Chicago Bulls are facing the same issues that have plagued them for several seasons—the most pressing of which is rim protection. With Nikola Vucevic and his backup, Andre Drummond, back to control the paint, it basically means opposing teams might feast at the rim once they get close to it.

Three more seasons of Vucevic

Newly re-signed Vucevic is a fine player, one you can pen in for a double-double on any given night. However, his rim protection skills, or lack thereof, are also well-known. For his entire 12-year career, the 6-foot-10 big man has averaged less than a block per game. Drummond, on the other hand, used to be a skilled block shot artist earlier in his career. Last season, the former All-Star averaged just 0.4 blocks per game—the lowest number ever since he entered the league.

Vulnerable inside

According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Bulls had a top-five defense last season, but that figure is hardly reliable, nor was it built on the strength of elite shot-blocking.

“Chicago once again appears vulnerable on the interior. The Bulls (improbably) found their way to a top-five defense this past season anyway, but given their personnel, that ranking was never the easiest to trust. Go back to 2021-22, when Chicago first assembled the Vučević-Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan trio, and the Bulls were just 23rd in defensive efficiency,” Buckley wrote.