Billy Donovan has said his preferred offensive formula for the Chicago Bulls is for them to have five to seven players in double figures and at least 25 assists.
On a highlight-filled Saturday night at the United Center, seven Bulls scored in double figures and 11 of the 12 players who played recorded at least one of the 33 assists in a 144-115 dismantling of the sleepy Dallas Mavericks.
The Bulls posted a franchise record for first-half points with 82, season highs for points, field goals (54), 3-point field goals (19) and field-goal and 3-point percentages at 63.5 and 55.9.
So what’s the takeaway to grab moving forward, other than to schedule a team without its transcendent star in Luka Dončić and one finishing a back-to-back that featured a late, 9 p.m. tipoff the previous night and travel?
Move the ball. Move bodies. Don’t stagnate into isolation play. Get the ball into the paint, either by pass or penetration.
“You can track potential assists. And I think we’ve been at our best when we spread it around and the ball finds the open man,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Zach (LaVine) and Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) and DeMar (DeRozan) are unselfish players. When they don’t have it, they’ll move it. It gets other guys involved.
“We’re talking a lot about the ball movement and making the game easy for each other. Find the open man. Take what the defense gives you. Recognize how we’re being guarded. All of that has to be predicated on putting pressure on the basket.”
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That’s what stood out most about the Bulls’ 34 3-point attempts, which registered almost six attempts higher than their league-lowest 28.4 attempts per game. They mostly came within the context of the offense, either following getting the ball into the paint or ball reversal.
Patrick Williams sank a career-high four 3-pointers. Derrick Jones Jr. sank 4-for-5 in just 20 minutes, often shooting them all alone from the corner after the ball swung from side to side.
“We’re trying. It’s not that we need to lead the league in 3-point shots. I just think there’s opportunities for us to take more 3s that are good shots,” Donovan said. “I’m not just saying we want to launch them up because you have to take what the defense gives you. But I thought we did a good job recognizing the ones we should take.”
Before the game, Donovan talked about the desire to get LaVine in as many catch-and-shoot situations as possible. This is not only because LaVine has been an elite spot-up shooter throughout his career but because, especially with Lonzo Ball out, he represents the Bulls’ most dangerous 3-point threat.
In a nod to the blowout and the Bulls finishing a back-to-back on Sunday in Atlanta, LaVine only played 27 minutes. He knocked down 7 of 11 shots, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range.
"I'm a rhythm player, always have been," LaVine said. "Getting in that rhythm and my timing is something big. I'm talented enough to find it throughout the game. But consistently, one through four quarters, to be feeling good is something I've been feeling for a couple weeks."
That's why LaVine is so encouraged about the team-wide offensive explosion. The Bulls aren't going to shoot 63.5 percent or make 19 3-pointers nightly. But if their commitment to this offensive identity stays consistent, it's likely an offensive rating that has languished near the bottom third of the league all season will rise.
“We shared the ball,” LaVine said. “I think we played as a team and played to our strengths. We did a really good job of understanding matchups. Sharing is contagious and hopefully it can carry over. I think we can keep that same identity.”
Just the way Donovan wants it.
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