The Chicago Bulls defense is a problem and it's making their math problem worse

The Chicago Bulls defense is officially a problem.

Despite a rocky 2022-23 campaign, the Bulls were an elite defense. They finished fifth best on the year, and vaulted up to first after the All-Star Break.

They were stellar at the point of attack. Nikola Vucevic was containing ball handlers at the level of the screen. Back side help was on point. Alex Caruso and Patrick Beverley were flying around the court stopping problems before they ever arose.

This year, it has been a different story.

With much of the focus now on the dragging offense, the underrated, and perhaps more concerning storyline is the dropping from a 112.5 defensive rating to 116.6 through seven games. They a...