Getty Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls.
If the Chicago Bulls want to improve, they need to shoot more threes next season as executive vice president of basketball operations Artruas Karnisovas said in his exit interview. But it can be difficult to teach an old dog new tricks and, for the Bulls, six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan is that old dog, albeit an effective one.
So does the answer to solving the Bulls’ problems begin with trading DeRozan?
“Yes,” said The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry on ‘The Bulls Talk Podcast’ on June 6. “Because [head coach Billy Donovan]’s not gonna take the ball out of his hands, and I don’t think DeMar is going to change.”
DeRozan, 33, is heading into the final year of his contract and, to Mayberry’s point has long been known as a non-shooter from three.
He did, however, attempt threes at the third-highest rate of his career this past season. And, in a video shared on his Instagram, DeRozan posted a video of himself working on shooting in spot-up situations.
DeMar DeRozan shooting 3s w/ Johnny “Dribble2Much” Stephene. #Bulls
After initially pushing back on a question about it during his exit interview by Mayberry, DeRozan admitted he will look to take more threes next season.
“I think, obviously, next year it’ll be more frequent threes for me without a doubt,” DeRozan said via the team’s YouTube channel on April 15. “Just because I always had this vision in my career as I got older: I wanted to be able just to continue to expand my game, and you know that’s a main priority and a point of focus for me to just to capitalize on as I get older.”
For what it’s worth, DeRozan shot 36.2% from deep over the final 14 games of the regular season which would have been a career-high across the entire campaign. He also got up 3.4 deep looks per game in that span which would have been the second-most of his career.
Chicago’s offense ranked 24th and they ranked 30th in threes taken. They did rank 16th in efficiency, though Mayberry says it’s not just a volume issue.
Not Just a Volume Issue
“They got to take more threes and they have to be able to be more proficient when they take them, and I think a lot of that starts with DeMar,” Mayberry said. “It’s not even so much he needs to take three, four more threes a game. I think he should increase his pace and then, perhaps depending on who’s on the roster, get off the ball…just not more, but faster as well.”
The Bulls entered the season looking to implement a more chaotic style of offense highlighted by player and ball movement designed to make them less reliant on DeRozan.
They ranked 10th in passes made per game but ranked 20th in assists.
And DeRozan ranked third on the Bulls in touches per game, and 25th among players to make at least 70 appearances during the regular season. But his average seconds-per-touch ranked ninth among that same group.
The Art of Passing ft. @DeMar_DeRozan at #NBAParis
“When you have the ball in his hands, he is an extraordinary offensive player who you know is going to be a highly efficient scorer,” said Mayberry. “But again, at what cost to the rest of the team? Can everyone else find their Rhythm are you hunting three-point shots or is he hunting mid-range shots?
Still, DeRozan’s 59.2% true shooting this past season is the second-highest mark of his career.
“You know that he’s a reliable source of offense. And so the easy thing is to give the ball to DeRozan and get out of the way,” Mayberry said. “It’s partly, I think, the fault of the coaches and the teammates. But then I think DeRozan also has to look himself in the mirror.”
DeMar DeRozan Could Be Blocking Patrick Williams’ Breakout
There is also a belief that DeRozan’s presence is keeping fourth-year forward Patrick Williams who has turned into the team’s best three-point shooter, from breaking out.
“It…seems apparent that Williams isn’t a power forward…and the small forward spot has to be opened next season for Williams,” argued Sam Smith of NBA.com. “It’s up to the Bulls to clear the position for him.”
All signs point to the key players returning but Karnisovas says he will “look at everything”.