The Bulls didn’t mix up their roster at the trade deadline to prepare for a playoff push, but the addition of vocal veteran Patrick Beverley from the buyout market has given them an infusion of energy this week.
The All-Star break gave the Bulls a valuable opportunity to rest and recalibrate. Four players — DeRozan , forward Derrick Jones Jr. and guards Alex Caruso and Goran Dragić — missed the final game before the break. All four practiced at full speed in both practices this week, including contact drills and scrimmaging Thursday.
DeRozan’s health is especially important for the Bulls offense, which plummeted to a 99.5 rating during the six-game skid before the break while the All-Star struggled to play through pain in his right leg. After a week of rest and recovery, DeRozan said he feels “a lot better” and expects to be fully available to close out the season.[Don't miss] Should they tank? What does Lonzo Ball’s injury mean for the future? 4 questions for the Chicago Bulls after the All-Star break.
“It’s a sense of urgency from tipoff,” DeRozan said. “We’ve got to play as close to 48 minutes of basketball as possible. We’ve had too many spurts where we’ve played 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 minutes. Tomorrow we’ve got to lay it out there every single game. We’ve got to have that mentality of going out there like it’s Game 7.”
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