The Chicago Bulls recently faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves, for what would be the two teams’ final regular season match-up. The Bulls entered the contest as underdogs without Zach LaVine, as the two-time All-Star continues to recover after his surgery. But in a surprising turn of events, they managed to secure the win( 109-101) against the Timberwolves, as DeMar DeRozan led Chicago down the stretch. After the game, DeRozan was bombarded with questions about the team’s ‘clutchness’, as a lot of the franchise’s games this season have gone down to the wire.
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Addressing concerns of the media and fans, DeRozan admitted, “It’s frustrating because we know we can beat anybody…I see it all the time where Twitter go crazy on us, say we the most confusing team… It’s definitely frustrating cuz that’s not us.”
The Bulls truly have been confusing this season. They currently sit in the 9th spot in the West with a 36-39 record. However, they have also displayed the potential to beat top teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves. With top players like Zach LaVine and DeRozan on the squad, the Bulls’ campaign truly has been frustrating this season.
The Chicago Bulls currently lead all teams in ‘clutch‘ metrics, as the team has had more final-minute wins than most. In fact, not just wins, Chicago has had over 41 games this season which went down to last-minute heroics. The Bulls have played more clutch minutes than any other team in the league, with a 25-16 record to show for it. The Bulls’ defensive mindset seems to be a big reason for the team’s success down the stretch, as the Chicago side leads all teams in defensive rating in clutch situations this season [ 96.1].
DeMar DeRozan is an All-Time clutch player
A big part of Chicago’s ‘clutchness’ comes from their All-Star wing, DeMar DeRozan. With LaVine sidelined, DeRozan has taken over the leadership and scoring responsibilities of the team, and it’s bearing fruit. DeRozan has also seen a rise in his numbers, as the 6’6 forward is averaging 23.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists, on 47.5% shooting.
DeRozan is also battling for this year’s Clutch Player of the Year Award, as Stephen Curry leads the field currently with 181 clutch points this season. Coming in at second, DeRozan has already tallied 177 clutch points this season and also happens to be the most ‘impactful’ clutch player this season, with an average plus-minus of ’91’ during crunch time.
Regardless of how clutch the Bulls may be, they will need to tighten their play, come play-in time. They are currently at the 9th spot with a record of 36-39 and should be able to hold onto their play-in birth for the next two weeks. With both LaVine and Lonzo Ball out of the line-up, the load of scoring will fall on DeRozan, White and Vucevic, as Chicago will be shorthanded for the foreseeable stretch of this season.
