‘My chest is on fire’
RookieWilliams takes on the task of guarding reigning NBA MVP Antetokounmpo
It has been difficult to get a true measure of the Chicago Bulls over the pastweek.
Yes, there have been signs of progress — still nothing resembling defense or much consistency, but progress nonetheless. They entered Friday night’s road game against the Milwaukee Bucks as winners of backto-back games, with a heartbreaking 3pointer by the Golden State Warriors’ Damion Lee the only thing separating them from a three-game winning streak.
Yet their opponents during those three games, the Warriors and a pair against the Washington Wizards, have been woeful to start the season, making it hard to discern whether theBulls’ step forwardwas just the benefit ofweaker competition.
So while it should come as no surprise that theBucks thumped theBulls 126-96 on Friday, theBulls at least couldhavehopedto continue the positive momentum.
Instead, the Bucks showed why they are a championship contender, earning their 11th consecutive victory over the Bulls, who were short-handed for the second consecutive night and playing their third road game in four nights.
The Bucks defense swarmed and overwhelmed the Bulls, who struggled as badly as they have all season to generate offense. They made just 6 of 26 3-point attempts (23.1%) and had more turnovers (20) than assists (19).
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 16 points but took 16 shots to do it. Coby White shot 4-for-13 for 12 points and had more turnovers (four) than assists (three).
Although the Bucks are off to a slower start than last year’s historic pace, theywere coming off agameinwhich they set anNBA record for most 3-pointers in a game (29). They knocked down 22 more 3s against the Bulls, and reigning two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists with two blocks and two steals.
“We’ve needed this,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I’m hopeful that this game made us better because we went against a team that shoots a lot of 3s, that creates a lot of one-on-one mismatches. You have to help a lot as a team, do it together on the defensive end of the floor and then you have to do it together on the offensive end of the floor. We didn’t do those things well enough. … Hopefully this is a game we can really look at and learn from.”
It was a tough night for the Bulls after giving themselves more to feel good about for much of the past week, but the upcoming schedule doesn’t offer much reprieve. The Bulls host the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center on Sunday before beginning a four-game trip againstWestern Conference opponents. Four of the next five games are against 2019-20 playoff teams, and this stretch will provide a much truer test of the steps forward the Bulls believe they have made and whether they are sustainable.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s loss.
1. Patrick Williams got the assignment to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Almost immediately after he received the assignment, the Bulls rookie started asking questions.
He sought out assistant coach Josh Longstaff, who was on the Bucks staff last season. He inquired with veteran Thaddeus Young, who has years of experience guarding Antetokounmpo and has had some relative success. And Williams reviewed film of one of the most physically dominant players in the league, looking for tendencies, areas where he has struggled, anything that might help.
“Film definitely helps, but there’s nothing like actually being out there with him, just taking those blows fromhim,” Williams said. “My chest is onfire right nowjust from the shoulders that he gave me.”
Williams could not slow Antetokounmpo, but he’s far fromalone there. TheBulls keep putting Williams into the fire at the start of his rookie season, starting him in all six games and giving him one of the toughest defensive assignments in the league.
“Patrick’s got to evolve into and be that kind of two-way player for us,” Donovan said. “The onlyway he’s going to gain those experiences is being thrust into them immediately.”
Williams added: “I want to be the guy that guards the best players night in and night out. Tonight was definitely a step forward for me, just getting more comfortable guarding guys like that. It’s not easy at all, but you’ve got to find away to do it.”
2. Itwasanotherinconsistentnight for the Bulls offense.
One of the best signs of progress for the
Bulls over the past few games had been their improved ball movement and sharing the ball. Seven players reached double figures in consecutive games, the Bulls collected 34 assists Thursday as Coby White recorded his first career double-digit assist game.
The Bucks will humble even some of the best teams defensively, but the Bulls took a step back. They did not spread the ball around effectively. White struggled with the pressure the Bucks put on the ball handler, and backup point guards Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono had to miss the game.
“We became very easy to guard,” Billy Donovan said. “It really played into their hands and really put our defense, for the large majority of the night, back on its heels.”
Turnovers have become a recurring issue for the Bulls. They began Friday as the second-worst team in the league behind the Miami Heat with 18.8 turnovers per game and then coughed it up 20 more times against the Bucks.
“We just tried to force stuff that really wasn’t there,” Whitesaid.“We tried tomake the right play, but against a good defensive team like them, sometimes the right play is always the hardest. They were in the passing lanes. We’ve just got to make smarter decisions with the ball.”
3. Daniel Gafford is making a case for more playing time.
It’s certainly not under the preferred circumstances, but considering the Bulls are missing four players from their rotation for absences related to COVID-19, this stretch also will provide an opportunity for the players called upon to replace them.
Gafford has made an impact with his chances, scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds as he contributed on both ends of the floor against theWizards on Thursday. He had a much quieter performance Friday but made his only two field-goal attempts, grabbed three rebounds and had a block and two steals in 16minutes.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Gafford said Thursday. “I hate that we lost the guys we lost, but it’s a big opportunity because we had to step up and show we were ready to play.”
The Bulls have a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt when their roster is healthy, and Gafford had been the odd player out. Billy Donovan has been using Lauri Markkanen as his primary backup center with a wing-heavy small-ball lineup when Wendell Carter Jr. needs a rest.
While Markkanen is sidelined for COVID-19 protocols, Gafford seems in line to see increased playing time. If Gafford is productiveandcancontinue to build offsome of his shortcomings offensively, it could set off a debate over whether he should receive the backup center minutes instead.
“I do think there’s a widening out or broadening out of his game,” Donovan said. “At this point in time, he’s been strictly a roller to the rim, a rim protector. Pick-androll coverage he’s been really good at because of his athleticism and his intelligence, but trying to put him up top, let him get into some dribble-handoffs, let him do some different things passing-wise, those are things he’s going to need to improve upon and get better at.
“He’s never really been in the position or situation to do that in his career because he’s been so elite as a roller and his length at the basket, you can throwlobs.”