For the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls have struggled to find postseason success. They snapped a four-year playoff drought in 2022 after a hot start to the regular season, but they were eliminated in five games in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks. And this past year, they were bounced in the Play-In Tournament by the Miami Heat.
Despite putting together a star-heavy team with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, Chicago has only won one playoff game. And this past year, the Bulls’ defense was good enough to warrant playoff success, as they were fifth in the NBA in defensive rating at 111.5. They just weren’t able to make that translate to wins in the playoffs.
Chicago’s defense was so good that Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas recently dished out some high praise.
Bulls receive credit for defense
During an appearance on the The Schuz Show, Thomas called the Bulls as a top-notch defense. (H/t Harvey Glassbrook of Bulls News)
“I feel like the Bulls played good defense on me,” Thomas said.
Cam Thomas credits Bulls for snapping scoring streak
The Nets guard even credited Chicago, namely Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso, with slowing down his red-hot scoring streak.
“When I had three 40-point games, that fourth game, I only had 2,” said Thomas. “I was struggling a bit. I feel like they played good defense on me that game. Patrick Williams, Alex Caruso, they played pretty solid defense on me that game, so it is what it is.”
Chicago’s offense definitely needs some work, but at least they let it be known that the defensive potential is there.
