Chicago Bulls are coming together on both ends, says DeMar DeRozan

Many pegged the Chicago Bulls to take the next step this season coming off their most successful campaign in seven years. However, injuries and disjointed play doomed them in the first couple of months of the season.

The Bulls, though, appear to be turning a corner as they have won eight of their last 12 games to land at 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-22 record. Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan gives his team credit for making an effort to come together on both ends of the court.

Coming together at the right time

Despite the Bulls' struggles early in the season, including a 150-124 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that prompted a heated exchange between teammates in the locker room, DeRozan says the team has maintained a positive demeanor throughout and that it is starting to pay off.

“We’ve been coming together offensively and defensively, communicating, challenging each other, holding each other accountable,” said DeRozan.

“At the halfway mark, and we’ve made great strides the last few weeks. I feel we’re going to continue to build on that and up our confidence. We’re showing we can compete with all the top teams in the league, and that’s a plus we’ve got to use going into this next half of the season. Turn it up and take advantage of everything we’ve learned from these first 41 games," the Bulls forward added.

Zach & DeMar combined for 71 points last night 💪@Plus500 | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/Tx7NrhlHee
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 8, 2023

Lessons learned

From on-court issues to lineup changes and injuries to key players, most notably starting point guard Lonzo Ball, DeRozan believes the Bulls have learned a lot in the first half of the season that can help them going forward.

“We struggled so much early on,” DeRozan added. “We felt the frustration and letdowns and went through almost every negative emotion the first half of the season."

DeRozan shared that rather than let all those bring them down, the team has used them as a learning experience to take in and understand how to maximize their full potential in the second half.

"Lately, channeling everything we went through to the positive, and that’s the team you’ve been seeing over these last 10 games, and I think the next 10, we know what it takes to close out games, how to come together, win games, guys understanding what role is needed on an everyday basis and with that - can’t do nothing but continue to build. Over the last 10, 12 games, we’ve been playing up to that standard,” DeMar said.

With DeRozan suffering a quad injury in their last game, the Bulls will be severely tested once again as they attempt to make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the season. But with the veteran star leading the way, they will be looking to prove that they can and will come together on both ends of the court.