Getty DeMar DeRozan #11 (L) and Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls speak
This postseason has not gone how the Chicago Bulls had hoped. Even with modest expectations up against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the fashion in which they lost both Games 3 and 4 — at home by an average of 27 points — is disappointing.
It has been especially tough because the stars have not been able to perform up to the level their fans are used to for myriad reasons from health, to suffocating pressure, some combination of the two, or even something different entirely.
Bleacher Report’s Mo Dakhil gave out grades for the stars of the NBA’s playoff teams and the Bulls were average at best.
They have been outscored by Milwaukee menace, Grayson Allen, over the last two games.
MVP to Below Average
Dakhil gets right into things in his explanations and he begins with the Bulls’ one-time MVP hopeful, DeMar DeRozan. Specifically, Dakhil goes right for DeRozan’s history in series openers.
“Through 11 career series openers, DeRozan has shot 35.7 percent from the field. That includes his 6-of-25 performance this year against the Bucks.”
By now, DeRozan’s “guarantee” not to shoot that poorly was paid off with Game 2’s 41-point outburst. But, as Dakhil continues, the showings in two games at the United Center have been downright brutal.
“One would have anticipated the run to continue as Chicago returned home, but in the two games at United Center, DeRozan mustered just 17.0 points on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and had a plus/minus of [minus-]23.5.”
This has been a far cry from DeRozan’s regular-season averages of 27.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists or his stellar stretch from February 4 to February 26 when he averaged 36.9 points, 5.8 boards, and 5.2 assists.
The inefficiency has been the worst part, though, as he still tallied 23 points in Game 4. But it took him 20 field goal attempts to do so.
DeMar DeRozan on the Bucks’ 3-1 series lead over the Bulls: “We can’t show panic.”
Dakhil also penalizes DeRozan for not making a three. But it should be for taking as many as he did in the most recent loss. DeRozan might need to pass more if he can find someone worth trusting.
His defense has been as expected with the third-worst defensive rating on the team this postseason, per NBA.com. He has generated his fewest points scored per 100 attempts in his career, per Cleaning the Glass. The “D+” is probably warranted.
Barely Above Average
Zach LaVine — who entered into health and safety protocols on Tuesday, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania — graded better than his teammate. But it is still just average for a player that has proven to be above that level of player with back-to-back All-Star appearances and an Olympic Gold medal.
That did not spare him from the harsh reality of this postseason, as Dakhil explains.
“This is Zach LaVine’s first playoff appearance. He is clearly learning just how different it is. His scoring average has dropped from 24.4 to 19.3 points per game, and his field-goal (42.9) and three-point (37.5) percentages have dipped.”
Again, all factual. And Dakhil continues by explaining it is LaVine’s lack of aggression in “shooting nearly two fewer shots and, more importantly, getting to the line nearly two fewer times.”
Dakhil offers up an explanation.
“One reason for LaVine’s dip is that he’s turned into more of a facilitator, going from 4.5 assists to 6.0, with a slight increase in his turnovers. He had 13 assists in Chicago’s Game 4 loss. That improvement as a playmaker has LaVine’s grade sitting at a C-.”
LaVine, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has recorded two double-doubles this postseason. The other was with 10 rebounds in Game 1. But his balky knee has robbed him of the signature ability to attack as few others can.
Zach LaVine and Bobby Portis were called for double techs after this play:
To Dakhil’s point, LaVine trying to impact the game in other ways is great. But his drop-off from the regular to the postseason has been exasperated by his knee injury and a stout Bucks defense.
He has produced his second-fewest points added per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass.
Noticeable Absence
The Bulls are one of seven teams with two “stars” listed joining the Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, and Utah Jazz. They only grade out better than Brooklyn and Toronto.
Brooklyn was swept at home by the Boston Celtics on Monday while Toronto extended their series to a Game 6 with a 103-88 win on the road.
Not mentioned is center Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic has spoken of how much better things are when the offense flows through him. His 19.5 points per game this postseason are more than LaVine. But he has been less efficient, particularly from beyond the arc. He has hit just one more made three on nine more attempts than LaVine.
All of the Bulls’ stars will have to be better in Game 5 on April 27 if they want to join the Raptors in pushing their series to six games after being down 3-1.
Toronto has won two games in a row, though, while the Bulls have done the exact opposite.