After the Chicago Bulls lost their seventh straight game Sunday, Josh Giddey told reporters “the memo is out” on how to beat the Bulls. The Bulls have to hope the league hasn’t figured out their young guard as well.
The Golden State Warriors trounced the Bulls, 123-91, in a game where they dominated Chicago on the boards and from three-point range, despite playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford. According to Giddey, the blowout happened because opponents have figured out a simple strategy to stop his team after their 5-0 start.
Josh Giddey knows the Bulls rely on fast breaks
The 9-14 Bulls play at the NBA’s second-fastest pace and rank in fifth in fast-break points, averaging 17.7 per game. That’s where Giddey and the Bulls’ deep group of guards thrive, making plays in transition and getting easy buckets. During their losing streak, those easy buckets haven’t been coming.
A telling sign of the Bulls’ offensive struggles is that they’re getting 7.7 shots blocked each game, by far the most in the NBA this season. For the year, it’s 6.3 per game, second only to the New Orleans Pelicans. And because the team isn’t forcing turnovers (they rank 27th) or denying offensive rebounds (they give up the sixth-most), the Bulls don’t have as many chances to run.