Starting the Buses: The Chicago Bulls Charge to a 2-0 Lead

Apr 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) shoots the ball against Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson (31) and guard Khris Middleton (22) during the second half in game two of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 92-81. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls have jumped out to a 2-0 lead versus the Milwaukee Bucks in their first round matchup. The Bulls haven’t exactly been an offensive powerhouse, shooting only 42% from the field. Some of this is expected, since defense has been the calling card for the collection-of-limbs-known-as-the-Bucks this season. Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, and the rest of the long-armed crew had the fourth-best defensive rating this season, so it begs the question – how exactly have the shooting patterns for the Bulls changed thus far?

Enter Hunting Grounds. By comparing regular season activity to the postseason, we can get a sense of how shooting is changing. Yes, it’s only two games; conclusions beware. However, there are still tidbits to be learned from this approach.

First, the early favorite for playoff feel-good story, Derrick Rose:

Rose has remained fairly consistent with his regular season activity. The only area he’s neglected so far – that he normally doesn’t – is the right elbow. However, this is really displacement; he’s been active on the left elbow instead. While Rose wasn’t as explosive in Game 2 (0 points in the 1st half) as he was in his emphatic Game 1, this type of consistency is promising. Is it indicative of anything? At most, it demonstrates that Rose isn’t suddenly doing anything new – which is great news for the Bulls. Rather, he is serving as the perfect compliment to their leading scorer, Jimmy Butler.

Speaking of consistency from regular season to playoffs, Butler is exactly that. The overlap isn’t perfect – and you wouldn’t expect it to be after only two games – but the general theme is the same: Wing 3s, Corner 3s, some baseline midrange jumpers, and At The Rim. It’s a recipe that has cooked up 56 total points. The Hunting Grounds between Rose and Butler are almost seamless; they get their best shots from similar yet distinctly unique areas on the court. I raved about the Bulls Hunting Grounds in the pre-season, and still really liked them before the playoffs started. These two games are just continuing my heartfelt feelings for their offense. Very promising. Bulls fans should be pleased that these two are getting the shots they want against a defense like this. This would potentially bode well for future rounds.

For good measure, let’s take a look at one of the Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo:

Giannis has been most prolific At The Rim in the both the regular season and playoffs. He’s typically not a three-point shooter, according to both the Hunting Grounds and the numbers (only 5.6% of his shot attempts were threes this season), so no surprises there. However, Giannis’s midrange jumper has been virtually nonexistent thus far. He’s got a spot near the elbow, but his usual activity is sprinkled from the elbows to the baseline. Going forward, he has at least two games to adapt. This is easier said than done, as Butler is usually Giannis’s primary defender. This series should be a good opportunity for Antetokounmpo to learn how to stabilize his postseason shot selection, especially for seasons to come.

Data and photo support provided courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball-Reference.com, and data extraordinaire Darryl Blackport.