What do the Bulls have to be grateful for this Thanksgiving?

Even though the score is not great at the moment, the Chicago Bulls still have some things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

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At this point in the NBA season, the Bulls find themselves in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. 5 wins in the first 16 games is certainly not what Bulls fans expected to see during the offseason. However, the season is long, and there are still things to be thankful for this season.

We are thankful for you 🫶🦃 pic.twitter.com/daZzjzGUKM

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 23, 2023

Forcing Turnovers

Although the offense has struggled immensely this season, particularly in turning the ball over, the defense has been performing quite successfully. Interestingly, despite being the worst in turning the ball over on offense, the defense forces the second most turnovers in the league. This season, 16.9% of the Chicago Bulls opponents' possessions end in a turnover.

In transition, the Bulls are first in the league in forced turnover percentage and second in pick-and-rolls in forced turnover percentage. Coupled with the high forced turnover percentages, Chicago is 5th in the league in steals, averaging 8.7 per game.

Currently, the Bulls have four players averaging over a steal per game. Defensive standout Alex Caruso leads the team with 1.4 per game, followed by Drummond with 1.2 per game, then Demar Derozan and Coby White, who each average 1.1 steals per game.

Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan

Ironically, Zach Lavine is someone to be grateful for if you're a Bulls fan, despite all the noise surrounding him right now. With all the trade talks surrounding Lavine and the Bulls, head coach Billy Donovan believes the story with Zach is quite simple.

"I see a guy on the floor that's trying to win," said Donovan following the Bulls victory against the Miami Heat last Saturday.

Lavine continues to be someone the Bulls lean on late game, along with teammate Demar Derozan. Both Lavine and him are leading the team in scoring, averaging 21.3 points per game. In Deebo's last game, he became just the 36th player to amass 22,000 career points.

2️⃣2️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ points for Deebo!

DeMar DeRozan becomes the 36th player in NBA History to reach 22,000 points 👏 pic.twitter.com/c8lhLeIkUF

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 23, 2023

The season is long, and there is still time for the Bulls to turn it around. In the meantime, Chicago fans should be grateful for their strong defense and consistent scorers. 

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