John Paxson addressed the state of the Chicago Bulls publicly for the first time since media day.

“The area we really do need to improve is with our athleticism,” Paxson said. “That’s been evident this year. We’ve got some vets who know how to play and can score. But when you look around the league and the way the game is now, that’s an area we have to address. That is a part of the plan. We’ll try to do that obviously through the draft and free agency if we can. You always have the trade option. Right now, our roster is what it is.”

In general, Paxson acknowledged the inconsistent bench play and lack of 3-point shooting have hurt the Bulls.

“One of the things I see and Fred (Hoiberg) has talked about is we get in fourth quarters and we really stop pushing the pace and the ball stops moving. That’s been one thing that has really hurt us. It’s been a point of emphasis. We need to get on the practice floor and keep finding ways to do it. You have to find a way to move the ball and make defenses shift. And the other thing is we’ve just really gotten inconsistent play from the guys coming off our bench. Losing Doug for that period of time with a concussion really did hurt us. It messed with our rotations a bit.

“(The lack of 3-point shooting) has hurt us. There’s no question about it. We’re last in the league in 3-point shooting in a league that needs it. We acknowledged that going in that that would be an issue. We did think---and still think---that Niko and Doug have the capability of being 40 percent 3-point shooters. That’s what they need to be.”