Mark Daigneault | Chicago Bulls Post-Game | Feb. 12, 2022
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00:00 State your name and affiliation.
00:02 - That's a really strong start tonight.
00:07 Just what did you feel in that third quarter there
00:10 that allowed them to kind of get back into this one?
00:12 - Well, you know, they're obviously
00:13 a really good offensive team,
00:14 so you know they're gonna make a run.
00:17 But I thought, like, the way we started the game,
00:19 both ends of the floor,
00:20 that's how you want to start against a team
00:22 like that on the road.
00:23 And I thought we did that again last night in Philly.
00:26 You just kind of get a grip on the game early
00:28 and you set a tone early.
00:29 And then you've got them playing on your terms.
00:31 And I thought we did that for a lot of the first half
00:34 and just set the right kind of tone to get a win.
00:36 And then credit them.
00:37 You know, they kept coming
00:38 and they obviously put it together in the third,
00:40 but we were able to stay in the game
00:41 and give ourselves a chance down the stretch.
00:43 - Talk about the defensive side for you guys.
00:45 You talked about shot contesting early on
00:48 and before the game, 10 blocks tonight.
00:50 Just what did you think overall
00:51 of the way you guys were able to kind of
00:53 contest a lot of those looks?
00:54 - Yeah, I thought we were good there at times.
00:56 And then, you know, we also put DeRozan on the line
00:58 for 16 free throws,
00:59 which is a huge key, you know, against them.
01:02 You know, that's how you get him to 38.
01:04 'Cause the shot making,
01:06 some of them you can't do anything about.
01:07 I thought we did a decent job of shot contesting,
01:09 not only him, but everybody.
01:11 But needed to be a little sharper there
01:13 in order to give ourselves a real chance there.
01:15 - I think at one point,
01:19 Poku maybe is your five in that second unit.
01:21 Actually forced them to go small and match you.
01:25 Just your thoughts on like his physical development,
01:28 maturation, stamina,
01:29 to be able to do that on the second night
01:32 of the back-to-back,
01:33 and for you to have the confidence
01:34 to roll that lineup out.
01:35 - Yeah, I mean, with, you know, just Roby tonight,
01:39 you know, it was definitely,
01:40 we were going to have to do it in some way, shape, or form.
01:43 And you just have to do it as a team
01:45 when you go small like that on both ends of the floor.
01:49 And, you know, he did a nice job,
01:51 Poku did in the first half there.
01:53 And then I also think the other guys you have on the court,
01:55 it's pretty critical when you downsize.
01:57 You got to have strength and size at the other positions.
02:00 It's not just about, you know, how big you are at the five.
02:03 - There he is, blocking DeMar DeRozan jump shots
02:07 and then defending Kuczynski's shot stretch.
02:09 What else can you say about the versatility
02:12 that he provides?
02:13 - Yeah, I mean, it's a luxury.
02:15 You know, these guys are really good players, obviously.
02:17 And to be able to move, you know, him around
02:20 in the way that we have,
02:21 and for him to be able to kind of adapt as quickly
02:24 as he's adapting to those things is a weapon.
02:27 And so I give him a lot of credit.
02:29 He's doing a really nice job.
02:30 He's done it all year, though.
02:31 - Specifically that play to end the quarter
02:34 that really seemed to frustrate DeRozan.
02:36 I mean, there's not many guys
02:38 that can make a play like that.
02:40 I mean, DeRozan's not seeing many defenders at all,
02:43 just looking straight at the rim all night.
02:45 Just your thoughts on that?
02:46 - Yeah, I mean, really good.
02:47 You know, he's got great timing.
02:50 You know, he's not the guy that's really fouling.
02:53 He fouled him once.
02:55 And other than that, you know, he's pretty low foul rate,
02:58 you know, and he's still really aggressive.
03:00 And so, again, he's done a really nice job for us.
03:02 He's got great size, athleticism,
03:04 and he's really developed his fundamentals
03:05 and his intellect on that end of the floor
03:08 and is reaping the benefits of that.
03:11 - Tell you about Lou's offensive development,
03:13 just that he can score 31 on a night
03:16 where he's attracting a lot of defensive attention.
03:18 - Impressive, you know.
03:20 I thought he was downhill.
03:21 He was getting fouled.
03:23 You know, that's in a game like that
03:24 where it's kind of like a possession game.
03:26 You're on the road.
03:27 It's against a good team.
03:30 You got to get to the line, you know,
03:31 and as much as we put DeRozan there,
03:33 we shot more free throws than them tonight.
03:35 You know, we made more threes,
03:37 and they outscored us by eight in the paint, I think.
03:39 I thought that was probably their difference,
03:40 but, you know, we gave ourselves the best chance tonight
03:43 to win the game.
03:44 You know, we weren't perfect,
03:45 but I thought we were competitive
03:47 and, more importantly, poised.
03:48 You know, there were times where they made some runs
03:51 and we just hung in there mentally.
03:54 - Josh, another triple-double.
03:56 - I thought he was really good tonight.
03:57 You know, I thought good floor game.
03:59 You know, definitely I thought a lot of the tone
04:01 that we set early in the game was him.
04:04 Yeah, I was just -- I was impressed
04:05 with just kind of his poise tonight.
04:07 I thought, you know, last night,
04:09 he got a little sticky with the ball,
04:11 and I thought tonight he came out with the intention
04:13 of, like, not only him moving it
04:16 but getting the team moving it,
04:17 and I thought he had a pretty contagious style
04:19 for us tonight.
04:20 - Trey's really struggled to shoot the ball
04:22 in the last couple weeks or so.
04:24 Is there anything you've noticed about that
04:26 or, you know, anything you want to see changed there?
04:28 - I mean, shooting's volatile.
04:30 I think it's pretty normal.
04:31 You know, like, guys shoot 35%,
04:33 but, you know, you're not going to shoot 35% every game,
04:36 and so there's a lot of ups and downs,
04:37 and guys, you know, are in and out of rhythm
04:40 at different times.
04:42 A lot of the shots that good shooters miss
04:43 are, like, right on the money and they just don't go.
04:46 I think for him maintaining a high level of aggression,
04:51 and he worked himself through that in the second half.
04:52 He hit two in a row and then almost a third there.
04:55 He's got to stay aggressive with that
04:58 because I think that's where you can maintain
05:01 some, like, consistency and confidence
05:03 through the volatility of makes and misses
05:05 is when you know what shots you're going to shoot
05:07 and which ones you're not,
05:08 and he's learning that right now.
05:10 I think, you know, there's times where he's
05:13 a little too passive, obviously.
05:14 We've talked about that at length,
05:16 but I thought he stayed pretty aggressive tonight.
05:18 -One up for Jim, Sean.
05:21 Andrew Schlecht, go ahead with your question, Andrew.
05:24 -Darius has clearly taken a big step up
05:28 on the defensive end this season.
05:30 Just outside of just getting more reps,
05:33 what, from your perspective,
05:34 has, you know, aided in his jump in defense?
05:39 -Well, I mean, that's a huge qualifier
05:44 because the reps are huge,
05:45 and he's got a lot of experience for a young player.
05:48 You can't ignore the physical profile, you know,
05:52 for him and Dort.
05:53 You know, in his case, he's 6'9".
05:55 He's athletic. He's strong.
05:57 He's got a great base. He's got great feet.
06:00 He's, you know, he's an unbelievable mover
06:01 for a guy of his size, and that definitely factors in.
06:05 I think, fundamentally, he takes that very seriously
06:09 and has been kind of a craftsman there.
06:11 I give him a lot of credit.
06:12 When he came in the NBA, he was very green,
06:16 and he's quickly gravitated towards fundamentals,
06:20 and he's quickly gravitated towards looking at those,
06:23 you know, nuances of the game like a craft,
06:26 like all the really good pros do,
06:29 and he's a really thoughtful, reflective person,
06:31 and he wants to -- He's a perfectionist, actually,
06:33 and he wants to get it right,
06:35 and I think he's applied that to his defense,
06:38 and I think he's starting to apply that to his offense
06:40 with the style that he plays in terms of keeping the offense
06:43 moving for us, mixing in rolls and pops,
06:45 mixing in drives, knowing when to go, when not to.
06:47 He's really trying to get that right, as well,
06:49 and that's why it's so easy to bet on him.
06:51 I know he struggled early in the season,
06:52 but the reason, you know, we were so hell-bent
06:55 and I was so hell-bent on sticking with him
06:58 is because he's an easy guy to bet on.
07:00 He's a really, really good guy. He takes it really seriously.
07:02 He's trying to get it right, and he's 21 years old.
07:06 All right.
07:07 - Check, check, check.