Billy Donovan said his preferred offensive formula with the Chicago Bulls is to have five to seven double-digit players with at least 25 assists.
In a highlight-filled Saturday night at the United Center, seven Bulls scored in double digits, 11 of the 12 players who played had at least one of their 33 assists, and a sleepy Beat the Dallas Mavericks 144-115.
The Bulls set franchise records for first-half points, with season-highs in points, field goals (54), three-point field goals (19), and field goal and three-point percentages of 63.5 and 55.9.
So, other than scheduling a team without the transcendent star of Luka Doncic and scheduling a back-to-back finishing team featuring a late 9pm tip-off the night before and a trip, what are the points to move forward? What is?
move the ball. Move your body. Don’t stagnate in solitary play. Put the ball into the paint with a path or penetration.
“We can track potential assists, and when we spread the ball and the ball finds an open man, I think we were at our best,” said coach Billy Donovan. (Lavigne) and Booch (Nicola Vucevic) and DeMar (DeRozan) are selfish players, when they don’t have it they run it, it gets other people involved.
“We talk a lot about ball movement and making the game easier for each other. Find an open man. Take what the defense gives you. All of that should be based on putting pressure on the basket.”
The Bulls’ 34 3-point attempts topped the league-low 28.4 by nearly six. They mostly occurred within the context of attack after putting the ball into the paint or following a ball reversal.
Patrick Williams sank a career-high four 3-pointers. Derrick Jones Jr. sank 4-5 in just 20 minutes.
“We’re trying. It’s not like we have to lead the league on 3-point shots. I think we have more opportunities to hit 3-shooters, which are good shots,” Donovan said. “I’m not just saying we want to launch them because we have to take what the defense gave us. But I thought recognizing what we had to take worked well.”
Before the game, Donovan spoke about his desire to get Lavigne in as many catch-and-shoot situations as possible. Because out, he represents the Bulls’ most dangerous 3-point threat.
Considering the Bulls won back-to-back Sunday in Atlanta, Lavigne played just 27 minutes. He knocked down 7 of 11 shots, including his 2-for-5 from his 3-point range.
“I’m a rhythm player. I always have been,” said LaVine. “It’s been a big thing for me to get into that rhythm and get the timing right. I’m talented enough to find it throughout the game. But consistently, from quarter one to quarter four, I’m feeling good. That’s what I’ve been feeling for weeks.”
That’s why LaVine is so encouraging about the offensive explosion across the team. But if this commitment to an offensive identity remains consistent, it could boost his ratings for the offensive, which had languished in nearly one of the bottom thirds of the league over the course of the season.
“We shared the ball,” Lavigne said. “I think we played as a team and played to our strengths. I think we can keep the
Just like Donovan wanted.
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