Quick ball movement sparking the Chicago Bulls' best winning run in the last few years

The Bulls' fast pace and quick decision-making are sparking their resurgence.

© John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t look now; not only are the Chicago Bulls relevant again, but they’re also playing exciting basketball! With a renewed focus on pushing the basketball up the floor, they are frequently finding open shooters or mismatches leading to high-percentage shots.

Need for speed

Speed is often associated with recklessness, but that isn’t the case with this Bulls squad. Their newfound uptick in pace is in no way sacrificing any of their decision-making or ball security. In fact, they’re executing plays at lightning speed and getting off even better looks than before, leading Bulls coach Billy Donovan to assert, “This is how we need to play.”

The last 14 games have seen the Bulls average over 25 assists per game, up two from their season average of 23, which ranks near the bottom of the league. This means they’re no longer settling for one-on-one isolation plays but instead looking to find better looks through ball movement and quick decision-making.

“We’re all super unselfish guys. I feel like the ball is moving at a high rate,” Coby White said.

“The main thing we’ve been doing these last however many games is just playing a lot faster. Even on made baskets, we’re getting the ball out quick and trying to get up the floor, making us hard to guard so we can play less in the halfcourt.”

BANG BANG BANG.@NBCSChicago | @CobyWhite pic.twitter.com/WMmoA5OmJy

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 21, 2023

Not letting the defense get set

Playing at a faster pace has a significant benefit: it doesn’t allow the defense to get set.

The Bulls have been making a concerted effort to push the ball after makes and misses, which helps create opportunities before defenders can locate their man and lock in on assignments.

“I think playing faster has opened up a lot for us, getting transition threes or not playing against a set defense, or maybe they’re mismatched, and we got a big on a small. Maybe Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) has a small on him, and we hit him in the post, and they have to rotate, and that’s another way we can create threes,” White continued.

Deebo with the strong finish 🔨@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/swb9hWJ6QB

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 21, 2023

DeMar DeRozan says the Chicago Bulls are coming together: "We're accepting the challenge every single night"