Bulls’ Chandler Hutchison Ready for Challenge of Starting Role
And The 22nd overall pick isn’t backing down.
In a much-expected move, Thursday night the Bulls dealt Justin Holiday to the Memphis Grizzlies for MarShon Brooks, Wayne Selden, and 2 Second round picks. On the surface, the most important pieces of the trade appear to be the picks, but that is not the case. The picks are solid pieces, however the best part of the trade is that more minutes are freed up for Chandler Hutchison.
Hutchison has had an up and down rookie season up to this point. With Denzel Valentine, Jabari Parker, Justin Holiday, and Bobby Portis already rostered, there weren’t many minutes to go around for Hutch early in the season. In his limited role, he wasn’t putting up numbers that might be expected of a 1st round pick, albeit a late one. Then it all changed in a snap. Denzel is out for the year with an ankle injury, and Portis is still working his way back from his own ankle injury. Jabari has been benched by Coach Boylen and Justin Holiday isn’t around anymore.
These rapid changes have thrust Hutchison into the starting lineup for just the 4th time in his young career, but he isn’t concerned. “I’m just gonna continue to play the game and be aggressive when the opportunities come and then just continue to be reliable on the defensive end.” That’s the attitude the Bulls need out of the young guys. The strongest part of Hutch’s game, to this point, has been his defense and now he’s arguably the 3rd best defender on the team. The Bulls desperately need better defensive play, showcased the other night in a blow-out loss to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando FREAKING Magic.
Back to Hutchison. He has great potential. As an athletic, lengthy wing with a 7ft wingspan, he has the tools to become a great finisher around the rim. Some fans are already reminded of Scottie Pippen from his early flashes. Once Hutchison gains confidence in his shot, he’ll begin to show many more of these flashes. Earlier in the year, he seemed extremely unwilling to shoot the ball, always looking for a teammate to hand the ball to. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he should be getting his shots up too, especially when they are good looks. As of late, Hutch has definitely started to gain this confidence. He’s been shooting the ball more as of late, and shooting fairly efficiently. Hutchison’s best game this season occurred recently in a game against the Toronto Raptors. The young guy put up 11 points on 5-5 shooting from the field (He also made his lone free throw attempt). When he shoots, more often than not he seems to score. The more comfortable he gets shooting, the better he’ll become as a player. Having a nice two-way wing will be great for this Bulls team in the long run. The combined defense of Kris Dunn, Hutch, and Wendell Carter Jr. should be enough to at least mask the defensive woes of Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen (Although these two seem to be improving on that end of the floor).
Tonight and the rest of this season are opportunities for Hutchison to show what he’s capable of. He doesn’t have to be phenomenal. That isn’t expected. Boylen wants to see him play to his strengths.
“I like his defense, his length and rebounding. He can handle the ball. He can drive the ball. It’s a great opportunity for him. I’m excited to see him play. I want to see him compete. I want to see him do what he’s been doing. He doesn’t have to do anything great. Less is more. Just compete. Play within yourself and if he plays like Bulls across his chest is important to him, I’ll feel good about it.”
That’s all you can ask of a young guy. Play for that organization across your chest. Be proud to be a Bull and make sure the fans and staff recognize that too. It’s Hutch’s time to shine, and believe me, he’ll shine bright.
And maybe, just maybe, 15 can be the new 33.
Featured Image: Mike Stobe/Getty Images
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