The Chicago Bulls' Biggest Strength Has Suddenly Become Their Biggest Flaw

As the great Indiana Jones once said: "Shut your eyes, Marion! Don't look at it, no matter what happens!!"

I can't think of better advice regarding the Chicago Bulls' recent offensive numbers. They have truly become face-melting, and not in the cool heavy-metal kind of way. Instead, what was once viewed as this team's calling card has become anything but. The offense has only stalled over the last handful of games, and this has occurred despite the Bulls regaining health.

In their most recent loss to the New Orleans Pelicans (the Bulls now make up two of the Pelicans' five wins) they scored a mere 104 points. This was the fifth time in their past seven games that the Bulls failed to post more than 105 points. They also shot 41.3 percent, which was their third-worst shooting performance of the season.

During this seven-game stretch, the Bulls have mustered only 107.6 points per contest, which is behind only the Toronto Raptors for the league lead. And, unlike the 16-11 Raptors, the Bulls do not have a Top 7 defense to hide behind or play at a PACE that ranks in the NBA's bottom ten. Instead, they have played at the NBA's second-highest PACE this season and have registered the 24th-ranked defense. In other words, scoring is crucial for this team to keep things close.

Chicago Bulls' offense over the last seven games ...

OFF RTG – 106.5 (30th)
PPG – 107.6 (29th)
3P% – 33.2 (26th)
FG% – 44.9 (25th)
FTA – 21.0 (25th)
AST – 24.9 (19th)
Fastbreak PTS – 14.9 (19th)
via NBA Stats

One thing that has really jumped off the screen is just how ice-cold the Bulls have been behind the arc. Even as they started to stack some losses in November and moved to 6-5, the Bulls were still Top 4 in three-point percentage. Were certain players shooting better than expected? Absolutely, but the Bulls were also doing a great job of picking and choosing their spots.

On November 12, Chicago sat 21st in three-point attempts per game. They did a much better job prioritizing the paint and killing teams in transition. Over the last seven games, however, we have watched Chicago move into the upper half of the league in three-point attempts and rank 14th.

Sure, Coby White's return has played a part in the increased volume, but the eye test also tells us that this group is settling for far more deep shots. And they aren't built to do that! Instead, they are built to attack the rim and feast in the open floor, yet you can see what has happened there. They have recorded fewer and fewer fastbreak buckets as this season has gone on. Four of their nine lowest-scoring efforts in the fastbreak have come in December.

Cleaning the Glass even has the Bulls starting only 14.6 percent of their possessions in transition during this seven-game stint, which is 20th in the NBA. For what it's worth, they have ranked 6th in the NBA overall this season, so we're talking about a pretty steep drop-off.

Isaac Okoro of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Isaac Okoro (35) shoots the ball against Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James (4) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

I'd also be remiss not to highlight the level of competition they have played in recent weeks. Five of these seven games have come against teams that sit 19th or lower in defensive rating this season. That's very telling.

There was already going to be little to no excuse for the Bulls' ranking among the NBA's worst offenses this season. Remember, they were so confident in this side of the ball that they primarily harped on defense in training camp. But we now have a seven-game sample size against weak competition that has the Bulls averaging the single worst offensive rating in the NBA. It doesn't get much more embarrassing than that, folks.

So what will the franchise do about it? Well, that's the seemingly never-ending question. This organization has shown little motivation to pursue sweeping changes or address the elephant in the room. The upcoming trade deadline opens another door for them to finally do something drastic, but I'd be lying if I said I expect them to walk through it.