Grading the Bulls’ 2019 Season
It was a rocky campaign (Cam-Payne, haha) defined by injuries and a major head-coaching change midway through the year. How does the 2018-2019 season grade out?
The Draft
After losing a coin toss to the Sacramento Kings, the Bulls positioning dropped down to the 7th pick in the NBA Draft. They did not land hyped up players such as Luka Doncic or Marvin Bagley III, however, they still drafted a stud. That man was Wendell Carter Jr., a 6-foot 10-inch Center from Duke. He would have a solid rookie campaign. In 44 games, he scored 10 points a night and collected roughly 7 rebounds. Carter established himself as the Bulls sought-after rim protector, collecting 58 blocks before his season was cut short by injury. The Bulls found their front-court partner to pair with Lauri Markkanen for the foreseeable future.
The Bulls also snagged the 22nd pick in the 1st round after trading Nikola Mirotic to the New Orleans Pelicans. With that pick, they selected Chandler Hutchison, a lengthy wing player from Boise State. His rookie year was also cut to just 44 games, but he showed flashes of promise. Hutch can be a good depth piece on a playoff team if developed properly.
Grade: B+
The Core
Zach LaVine signed a 4 year/78 million dollar offer sheet with the Sacramento Kings in free agency. The Bulls were quick to match, although LaVine-doubters strongly believed the Bulls had made a mistake in paying a guy, “Who’s only good at dunking.” Zach proved those doubters wrong instantly. He opened the season BLAZING HOT, scoring 30 or more points in the Bulls’ first 4 games–a feat only otherwise accomplished by Michael Jordan. LaVine didn’t maintain that level of scoring the entire season, however, he exceeded expectations by finishing with averages of 23 points per game and 4.5 assists. Point-LaVine became a real thing as Zach became more and more of a playmaker throughout the season. His drive and freakish athleticism aren’t going anywhere and the Bulls are certainly happy to have him around.
After missing the first 23 games of the year due to an elbow injury on his shooting arm, Lauri Markkanen came back a little rusty. That was to be expected, especially as the injury lingered on for the rest of the year. His elbow could not stop in February though. Nobody could stop him then. In that month, the Finnisher poured in over 25 points per game and nearly 12 rebounds. He had a double-double in 16 games–almost in a row, but a few nights he only reached 9 boards. That spectacular month faded off into a slow March, where Lauri would eventually be shut down due to extreme fatigue. If the Marksman can consistently play at the level he did in February, Bulls fans should be EXTREMELY excited for his future in this league.
Two days before the trade deadline the Chicago Bulls traded backup big Bobby Portis and Free Agent Bust Jabari Parker to the Washington Wizards for Otto Porter Jr. Porter fit right into the Bulls system, providing much-needed spacing, defense, and leadership to an already talented core. Trading for him was one of the few highlights of the season.
Kris Dunn did not improve this year. He was another victim of the injury bug, and couldn’t secure himself a guaranteed starting job for next season when he was on the court. His jumper was ice-cold and still remains as a non-existent 3 point threat. It’s arguable that he wasn’t even the best defensive player on the team this year–which is really all he has left at this point. Dunn’s future in Chicago is looking bleak enough that John Paxson is certainly searching for a veteran guard to replace him in the starting lineup.
Overall the most important pieces of the Bulls core continued to develop nicely and the front office added one of the most talented young wing players in the league. However, many players’ seasons were significantly shortened due to injury and it’s impossible to fully know how this team will gel on the court. There were tremendous flashes, but in order to win, the core has to be on the floor–and that just hasn’t happened enough yet.
Grade: B-
Optics
Going into the season, the Bulls front office and fans expected the team make a jump and possibly compete for a spot in the playoffs. On paper, it seemed like regression. The team fell from a 27-55 record the prior year to a 22-60 record this season.
This fall off is easily attributed to injuries, however, it is not without noting that the Bulls fired ex-coach Fred Hoiberg and replaced him with Mr. Spirit himself–Jim Boylen.
Boylen’s tenure started off with a franchise-record 56 point loss to the Boston Celtics. It was reported that Bulls players nearly held out of a long practice that Boylen had scheduled immediately following a back-to-back. Events like this is part of why the Bulls are oft labeled a “clown show.” That’s not a good look.
Now, it seems that players have bought into his hard-nosed mentality. It’s good that they have that connection, but one has to question whether Boylen should still be here.
The core improved, but again the lack of shared playing time limited due to injury hurt. Individually, much of the core showed promise. Together they showed a lot of promise, but they HAVE to play together more. The team can’t be defined by injuries. Coaching is still a question mark among fans and analysts alike–only time will tell.
Grade: D
Overall
The Bulls did not come close to reaching the expectations set by fans and the front office. Individually, core pieces improved and the core as a whole was terrifically upgraded with the additions of Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter.
Injuries and a media firestorm surrounding the team harmed chemistry at times as well as the ability to simply win games–although the team is gunning for a top pick.
Year 2 of the rebuild has put the Bulls in a position to collect another Infinity Stone for Chicago’s Gauntlet via the draft lottery.
Things will be looking much brighter next season, but as for now…
Grade: C+
Featured Image: Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
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