3 Takeaways from Bulls' March Performance

The Chicago Bulls will close out their March with Thursday's home bout with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Regardless of that contest's outcome, this will go down as Chicago's worst month of the 2021-22 NBA season.

It's not close, either. Prior to March, the Bulls had yet to suffer through a losing month, going .500 in January and posting winning records in all the others. But they are 5-9 in March, and the skid has forced this squad—which was once fighting for the top seed in the East—into a fight to avoid the Play-In Tournament.

Lonzo Ball's Value Has Never Been Clearer

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If Chicago can't reverse this downward trend, its season will be remembered as a tale of two halves. More specifically, there was the good half that featured Lonzo Ball and the rough one that didn't.

He injured his left knee Jan. 14 and hasn't suited up since. At the time, the Bulls had the East's highest winning percentage (.675) and the Association's eighth-best net rating (plus-2.7, per NBA.com).

Chicago has gone 17-19 since. The net rating is down to minus-2.4, which ranks 21st overall—one spot ahead of a Washington Wizards team that has been without leading scorer and solo star Bradley Beal since late January.

The Bulls have encountered issues beyond Ball's absence, but they miss his on-court presence and abilities as a distributor, defender and spot-up shooter.

Patience Is a Virtue with Patrick Williams' Development

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The Bulls were never going to paint Patrick Williams as their season savior.

That's a ton to ask of any sophomore, let alone a 20-year-old who was drafted as a long-term project and averaged single digits as a rookie. That he had nearly five months of his follow-up campaign erased by wrist surgery only increased the height of the developmental climb ahead.

Saying all of that, it was also hard to ignore Williams' opportunity to cover this roster's biggest weak spot. Even when the Bulls were clicking, it was clear they lacked a big, agile, two-way wing. Williams offered the simplest solution to scratch that itch, either by filling the void himself or serving as the trade chip that delivered someone who could.

Chicago, of course, didn't trade him, and Williams has yet to step into that role. The Bulls have limited his minutes through six games (17.7), and he hasn't given them a reason to increase his floor time. So far, he's averaging just 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from range.

Front Office Could Be Busier Than Expected This Offseason

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Zach LaVine's free agency aside, the Bulls seemed destined for a simple summer.

Once they locked up their All-Star scoring guard, they figured to hunt for only minor role players and potential missing pieces. Much of this core is under contract going forward, so this was supposed to be more about supplementing what they have and not sketching out a new blueprint.

It's possible that's still how things play out, but this downturn could give the Bulls brass plenty to think about. If they see issues beyond injuries, perhaps they think there are some fundamental flaws with this group. The wing rotation could be better. The interior defense leaves plenty to be desired, which would be a major issue if Nikola Vucevic is only going to play a support role on the offensive end.

If Chicago exits the playoffs sooner than expected, could big changes be on the horizon? That feels extreme for a team that looked so good when it was whole, but it also doesn't feel like something that can be ruled out.