The Chicago Bulls defeated the Washington Wizards 101-92 on Friday night. It is their 10^th victory of the season, and their fourth win in the last seven games. Jim Boylen also secured his fifth win 12 games into his tenure. By comparison, Fred Hoiberg went 5-19 this season before being let go.

The Bulls’ improved defensive effort is their biggest difference. Chicago’s 110.6 defensive rating under Hoiberg ranked them 23rd in the NBA. Their defensive rating has jumped to 106.9 since Boylen’s promotion. That number is 11th-best in the league, even after allowing 133 points in their infamous loss to the Boston Celtics.

On the other hand, the offense is still a work in progress. Hoiberg’s Bulls, even with the emphasis on ball movement, held a 101.0 offensive rating, second-worst in the NBA. Things got even worse under Boylen, dropping to 99.0 and last in the league.

The intense tempo shift is a major part of the adjustment. Chicago’s pace went from 16th in the league under Hoiberg to 26th under Boylen. The Bulls’ gameplan also became more post-centric, as they now average the fewest 3-point attempts per game.

However, things seem to be slightly improving, particularly over the last seven games. Chicago has matched up with several teams that are also at their level or going through their own problems. Their wins over the Wizards and San Antonio Spurs were against hobbled rosters. Meanwhile, their wins over the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers were against fellow rebuilding teams (although Cleveland is also dealing with injury issues).

In the process, the Bulls offense has seen a slight uptick. They finished four of the first five games under Boylen with sub-100 offensive ratings. Since then, they have finished five of their last seven games with offensive ratings of 100 or better. They have accumulated a 103.3 offensive rating over that span, 25th in the league.

Part of the improvement stems from the frontcourt members of the rotation settling into their new roles under Jim Boylen. In the last seven games, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Robin Lopez have taken up the majority of the minutes at the center and power forward positions. Bobby Portis suffered a sprained right ankle three games into this stretch. However, he will also play a major role in the rotation once he returns.

Markkanen has been the most consistent between coaching staffs. He averaged 15.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game and shot 36.1 percent from 3-point range in 69 games under Hoiberg (68 in 2017-18, 1 in 2018-19). Under Boylen, he has averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.

For Lauri, it was simply a matter of fully recovering from his injury and getting his trademark spot-up 3-pointer back in order. He really had in going when he had back-to-back 30-point performances against the Magic and Cavaliers.

Conversely, Wendell Carter Jr. needed some time to adjust to Boylen and his offense. Carter started his rookie campaign promising enough, averaging 11.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game under Hoiberg. The trend looked like it would continue when he dropped 12 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists in Boylen’s first game against the Indiana Pacers.

However, that production dropped to 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game over the following seven games. Despite his talent and the emphasis on post play, Carter couldn’t seem to find a consistent place in the offense. He shot 50.0 percent from the field, but only averaged 5.7 shot attempts per game.

More recently, Boylen and the Bulls have worked to get Wendell more involved. He has notched double-digit points in three of the last four games. This includes his 17 points and 13 rebounds against Washington. Incidentally, Chicago is 3-1 over this span. Now, his foul trouble is the biggest thing he will need to work on, as he has picked up at least four fouls in each of the last eight games.

Robin Lopez has made the most progress under Boylen. With Hoiberg, he wasn’t a big part of the normal rotation. Outside of setting solid screens, most of his skillset wasn’t conducive to the gameplan. However, Lopez still managed to pick up major minutes due to Portis’ and Markkanen’s injuries. He averaged 5.2 points on 4.3 shots and 1.9 rebounds per game under Hoiberg.

Under Boylen, Lopez has been utilized more, as his post ability and hook shot prove to be assets under the new offense. Robin is averaging 7.9 points on 6.6 shots and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Jim Boylen’s stint as head coach of the Chicago Bulls got off to a very rocky start. His hard-charging attitude and old-school offense rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. However, Boylen and the players seem to be slowly working things out together, and the frontcourt players are starting to settle into their roles.

There are plenty of games remaining in the 2018-19 season, and there will be plenty of pitfalls and rough nights ahead. However, if the team continues to fight on defense and incrementally improve on offense, things could continue to move in the right direction.