We’re nearly through the first week in February, and Chicago—one of my preseason picks to surprise the rest of the NBA—is tied for first in the East. But it remains to be seen how much longer the Bulls can hang in that pole position, and Thursday night illustrated why.
Many of Chicago’s biggest challenges were laid bare during the club’s overtime loss in Toronto, one in which the hobbled roster struggled with its defensive rotations in key moments. Specifically, the nail in the coffin during the loss came in the closing moments, with the Raptors up two.
Newly named All-Star Fred VanVleet held the ball at half court with 20 seconds left as coach Nick Nurse orchestrated a call to bring OG Anunoby from one corner to the other. Toronto then used a Spain pick-and-roll—meaning one where VanVleet would get a screen in the middle of the floor from his big man and the screen-setting big man would receive a pick from a guard. The play call, run to perfection with stretch big Chris Boucher popping out to the arc and flamethrower Gary Trent Jr. standing all alone on the wing, left the Bulls out of position, with Nikola Vučević not guarding anyone at all near the free throw line.
