Bulls Rookie Can Save Their Weak Interior Defense

The Chicago Bulls’ interior defense has been a major weakness all season. Easy points inside have lost them close games and let opponents run away with larger leads. Take a look at just how poor their rim protection is and the Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis who may yet save their defense.

Bulls Rookie Can Save Their Weak Interior Defense

The Chicago Bulls currently rank first in dFGA and dFGM in the restricted area. With 30.5 attempts and 20.6 makes, the Bulls have the worst rim protection in the NBA. Allowing these easy buckets has allowed their opponents to win close games and run away with leads in larger victories. Protecting the basket is a sacred tenant of basketball defense, and the Bulls are failing horrifically.

The saving grace is that these shots are not open looks, the Bulls are contesting these attempts. According to Basketball Index, the Bulls rank third in rim contests per 75 possessions with 6.05. They also rank sixth in the percentage of rim attempts contested with 38.7%. The numbers show that the Bulls are making their best effort in defending the rim, it is simply poor defensive ability allowing them to go in.

Basketball Index uses a great statistic to measure this ability, dFG% vs Expected%. This metric measures a team or player’s dFG% versus its expected based on shot location. A difference below zero means they defend better than expected and vice versa. The Bulls are ranked 29th in this metric, allowing rim attempts to score at nearly a whole percentage point higher than expected (0.82%). The Memphis Grizzlies rank first with a value of -5.01%.

Who is Defending these Attempts?

Looking at the players who spend the most time on the floor for Chicago, there are some notable defensive-minded players, including lottery pick Matas Buzelis.

Coby White allows 1.87 dFGA per 75 possessions. This places him right around the middle of the pack for all guards in the NBA with over 500 minutes played. His dFG% vs expected is 9.2%, which ranks him fourth worst among those 94 qualifying guards. It is not in White’s role to be a rim defender, but it is a noticeable weakness in his game that opponents could look to take advantage of in crunch time.

Patrick Williams, the Bulls’ main ball-stopper also fares poorly in this metric. His 3.69 dFGA per 75 ranks him fourth on the team. As the starting PF, he is expected to match up with other big men and defend the rim. When he does, his dFG% vs expected is 8.4%, the third worst on the Bulls roster. If Williams is going to be Chicago’s most active defender, these are not the numbers you want to see.

Nikola Vucevic is the Bulls’ starting center. Traditionally, protecting the rim is a main responsibility for him. Vucevic’s 5.32 dFGA per 75 places him third on the roster and his dFG% vs expected is concerning. Despite the value being 0.1, very near to expected, it is one of the worst among big men. Of the 34 big men with 1000+ minutes played, Vucevic has the 6th worst dFG% vs expected.

The Future of Chicago’s Defense

After seeing those numbers, it is important that Bulls fans not lose hope. Two members of Chicago’s young core may yet save their defensive weak spot.

Jalen Smith, Bulls backup center, allows 6.42 dFGA per 75, ranking him second on the roster. He also proves to be a promising defensive big with a dFG% vs expected of -1.7%. It is not highly ranked among rotation bigs but is still a better value than Vucevic and could indicate a needed minutes increase. He may not be the most promising young star, but he could be a solid contributor moving forward.

The hidden gem for the Bulls defense is rookie Matas Buzelis. His 47 total blocks rank him fifth among rookies and is the highest-ranked non-center. This stat alone shows his potential as a rim protector, but it is not the only one. Looking at just the Bulls, Buzelis faces the most dFG at the rim with 6.48. He is a very active rim protector and does so with great efficiency. His dFG% vs expected is -9.8%, nearly 10% better than expected. Dalen Terry leads the team with -9.9%, but his volume of dFGA is much lower than Buzelis.

Among fellow rookies, Buzelis is a standout in these categories. He is fifth in dFGA per 75 and ranked second in dFG% vs expected. It is one of the best by a rookie since 2014. Of the 443 rookies to play 500+ minutes, Buzelis ranks 19th in dFG% vs expected. With his minutes increasing in the absence of Zach LaVine after the Sacramento trade, Buzelis could become the Bulls’ defensive anchor. Rim protection needs to be a focus point if they want to win games and having Buzelis on the court to do so could mean the Bulls win more games.

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