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The Chicago Bulls doubled down on their playoff aspirations during the NBA's free agency period. After missing out on the NBA play-in tournament and seeing their trade deadline swing for Nikola Vucevic fail to bear fruit, the Bulls have moved to strengthen their roster with multiple free agents.
Rather than investigating the roster additions from a bird's-eye view, let's take a closer look at what each player adds to the team. We can then summarize what type of product we can expect from the Chicago Bulls moving forward.
Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball's addition to the Chicago Bulls has been on the cards for a few weeks now. The former Laker and Pelican is an open-floor distributor, formidable perimeter defender and improved three-point shooter.
The LA native's addition to the Bulls will provide the Eastern Conference outfit with a primary creator who loves to push the pace. Ball is one of the league's best fast-break initiators, hitting pinpoint pitch passes at will.
Ball's creation isn't limited to outlet passes; his ability to manipulate defenses and shot creation from the perimeter is among the best in the NBA. However, with him averaging just five drives per game, the Chicago Bulls will need to look elsewhere for penetration.
The Bulls will likely be looking to circumvent Ball's reluctance to drive by running a five-out offense, largely due to the presence of Nikola Vucevic and the additional creation he provides. A five-out scheme would allow Ball to work on the perimeter, creating high-value scoring opportunities for himself and others around him.
Lonzo also offers the Chicago Bulls an off-ball manipulator, capable of being an inverted screener or three-point threat when lifting from corners or curling off pin-downs.
As you can see from the above chart, the Chicago Bulls are getting a player whose entire shooting profile sits beyond the three-point line. With 8.3 attempts from long-range last season, the 6-foot-6 guard will garner enough scoring gravity to provide his teammates with driving lanes.
As a passer, Ball is as accurate as he is creative. Capable of spotting cutters from all angles of the floor, the former UCLA floor general will force defenses into tough decisions night after night.
Since entering the league, Ball has assisted on approximately 26% of his teams' buckets while he's been on the floor. It's clear that the Chicago Bulls envision Ball's defense and ability to push the pace as the perfect foil to Zach LaVine's self-creation and penetration-based game. With Ball and Lavine as the starting back-court, the Bulls have accomplished a significant upgrade.
DeMar DeRozan
What better way is there for the Chicago Bulls to complement the arrival of Lonzo Ball than adding a slasher of DeMar DeRozan's caliber? A mid-range assassin, DeRozan is an analyst's nightmare. The 31-year-old is coming off a season as one of the San Antonio Spurs' primary ball handlers and will need to adjust to a more off-ball role in Chicago.
With both Ball and Vucevic already on the roster, DeRozan will be the Chicago Bulls' tertiary playmaker, projecting his role as more of a finisher than creator. As long as he's being asked to finish those mid-range plays, DeRozan should have no issues rising to his new role.
Another reason adding the four-time All-Star to the Chicago Bulls roster makes sense is his ability to work off-ball, especially when cutting from the wings. With a perimeter-based big-man like Vucevic, having a high-post finisher is integral to a well-balanced offense and DeRozan will thrive in that type of role.
Defensively, the Compton native is slightly below average for his position from a statistical standpoint - a worthy trade-off given his offensive upside.
![DeMar DeRozan defensive EPM vs. league average [Per Dunkesandthrees.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/038f4-16281983170043-800.jpg)
Defense is notoriously hard to quantify. You have to factor in the other players on the floor and their limitations, travel effects, and of course, the level of opposition. Yet, a fair guesstimate of a player's defensive impact is how their team faired with and without them on the floor, which is why EPM is one of the better metrics.
According to the BBall Index, DeRozan's defensive role last season was as a "helper." Primarily guarding a team's third or fourth-tier offensive weapon, the versatile wing was relied upon to use his lateral quickness and length to offer rapid-fire help defense.
One upside to DeRozan's defensive game is his versatility, with the wing capable of guarding positions 1-through-4 with ease. That level of switchability provides the Chicago Bulls with a versatile defense that will allow them to deploy numerous schemes.
Alex Caruso
Alex Caruso became somewhat of a cult figure in Los Angeles. The guard's defensive intensity and moments of offensive brilliance endeared the four-year veteran to LA Lakers fans worldwide.
Now moving to Chicago, Caruso will be tasked with leading the second unit alongside third-year guard Coby White. The Chicago Bulls possess a lot of offensive talent but tend to be flimsy on defense, and that's where Caruso comes in.
Capable of leading the defensive line at the point of attack or operating in lock-and-trail escapades off screens, the Texas native will add peskiness to Chicago's rotation. The former Laker will fit seamlessly behind All-Star guard Zach LaVine with a high-octane approach to the game.
Caruso will bring three-point shooting, penetration, and reliable secondary creation to the Chicago Bulls bench. Coby White projects to be a score-first guard, which will allow Caruso to dictate proceedings a little more than he was used to with the LA Lakers.
Ending last season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds while operating on a usage rate of 16.2%, it's fair to assume Caruso's numbers will increase next season.
Caruso might not have been a headline acquisition like Ball or DeRozan, but he brings the fire the team sorely needs. Expect to see him play in crunch time when the Chicago Bulls are looking to chase or protect a lead.
How does the Chicago Bulls roster shape up?
Ending last season on the outside looking in, the Chicago Bulls made moves to strengthen their starting and second units. With Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine as their starting backcourt, the Bulls are projected to have a run-and-gun offense off turnovers and defensive rebounds.
Ball's ability to carve back-peddling defenses wide open will be integral to unlocking LaVine's athletic ability. Far too often last season, LaVine was tasked with breaking defenses down in the half-court. And while the first-time All-Star showed maturity and poise in leading the offense, he's at his best when steamrollering towards an unsettled defensive unit.
On the wing, DeMar DeRozan is a clear upgrade over Lauri Markkanen, and his partnership with the Chicago Bulls' sophomore forward Patrick Williams will be an interesting development.
Williams is an athletically gifted wing with raw offensive potential and leaping ability that makes him dangerous when closing out. Shooting 39.1% from deep during his rookie season, Williams should provide DeRozan with the spacing he craves when operating in the mid-range.
We go back to Lonzo Ball for a moment. Williams is no slouch getting up and down the floor and has shown promise as a pull-up shooter when forced off the line. With Ball quarterbacking the Chicago Bulls offensive, we could see some thunderous dunks or intelligent finishes of Iverson cuts and the like.
The offensive possibilities for the guard and wing tandem are scary; with so much shooting and slashing ability, teams will struggle to contain the Bulls' offense.
Thus far, we've looked at how the Chicago Bulls project in the open court, but they're just as (if not) scarier once plays slow down in half-court settings. Nikola Vucevic is one of the league's best perimeter big-men. A career 35.7% shooter from downtown and an impressive passer, Vucevic can operate as a secondary playmaker above the break.
There's a popular five-out offensive set in the NBA, known as "delay," where the big positions himself directly above the break, wings in the corners, and guards between the slot and wing. Vucevic's presence on the Chicago Bulls roster means you can expect to see the team run this set consistently.
The beauty of delay sets is that off-ball action between guards and wings can take place in tandem, allowing the big to either attack a rotating defense, hit cutters with the pass, or stretch defenses with dribble handoffs.
With the roster moves made this summer, the Chicago Bulls look to have an offense capable of challenging for a top-five position within the Eastern Conference and will have hopes of a deep playoff run.
However, games aren't only played on the offensive side of the floor. It's on the defensive end, where the Chicago Bulls might struggle. Vucevic is a solid rim protector and is at his best when shuttling between the high and low help-line in drop schemes. Placing the All-Star big man into show coverage or asking him to switch is a recipe for disaster due to his limited lateral quickness.
Ball should provide the Chicago Bulls with their primary point-of-attack defender, allowing the Bulls to negate how often teams target LaVine. At the same time, Patrick Williams will surely continue to improve on his strong rookie season.
In terms of the second unit, Caruso will replace Ball as the POA. At the same time, Troy Brown Jr. should be a capable deputy to Williams' defensive presence - albeit with a more "in your face" defensive style.
Chicago Bulls Depth Chart
On paper, the Chicago Bulls have improved across the board. Unfortunately for them, the NBA isn't played on paper. Here's their current depth chart, excluding current free agents, both restricted and unrestricted.
As you can see, the Chicago Bulls clearly need a backup center and possibly another power forward before the season begins. With multiple centers still available on the free-agent market, it wouldn't be a shock to see someone such as DeMarcus Cousins join the roster on a one-year veteran minimum.
Only time will tell if the team's moves at last season's trade deadline and during the current free agency period will be enough to see them climb the rankings in the Eastern Conference. But for now, the Chicago Bulls seem to have a much stronger roster than the one that ended last season.
Also read: Winners and Losers of 2021 NBA Free Agency so far
