When the Bulls hired Boston Celtic assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, they knew that they are getting one of the best defensive minds in the NBA today.  In fact Thibodeau is the man credited for Boston’s top rated defense (according to Synergy, who used Points Per Possession to rank them).  However, just because Thibodeau is coming in doesn’t mean that the Bulls defense was terrible last year (they were in fact ranked 8th), and when you think of their roster, it makes sense.  You have a big physical and athletic point guard in Derrick Rose, long-athletic wings, and a mobile yet physical big man in Joakim Noah.  It’s scary to think about what Thibodeau can do with this roster, and that is without adding LeBron James.  What I wanted to do is take a look at some changes the Bulls defense might make with Thibodeau in charge.  Specifically the pick and roll.

Surprisingly enough, the Bulls were better/equal to the Celtics when defending the pick and roll (both in terms of defending the ball handler and defending the roll man), according to Synergy (Celtics’ stats in the white and Bulls’ stats in the gray):

Despite the Bulls holding their opponents to a lower points per possession number, the Boston Celtics were able to force more turnovers.  Turnovers are important because they allow the team forcing them opportunities to run and get baskets in transition.  With the way the Bulls’ roster is currently set up, the more they can get in transition, the better.  So what do the Celtics do differently to force all these turnovers?

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