How Will the Bulls Manage Their Back Court?
With offseason additions of Tomas Satoransky and Coby White, it remains to be seen how the coaching staff will order the rotation.
Going into the 2019-2020 season, the Bulls have six bodies at the guard spots. The only player who’s a guaranteed starter is Zach LaVine. He will remain at shooting guard. Questions marks arise around the starting point guard and backup guard spots.
Tentatively, Jim Boylen has named Kris Dunn the starter. In an interview with NBA TV, Boylen revealed that his “first five” were set. This should be taken with a grain of salt. It is unlikely that Dunn’s starting spot would be taken away on live television. John Paxson has repeatedly assured the media that the point guard spot is wide open and will be fought for throughout training camp.
The players competing for that spot are: Kris Dunn, Tomas Satoransky, Coby White, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Shaquille Harrison.
Arci and Shaq are certainly not going to take the reigns of the Chicago Bulls and will instead remain as key depth pieces. It gets interesting with the first three players.
Tomas Satoransky was acquired via a sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards this offseason for 2nd round picks. He started 54 games in the absence of John Wall and excelled in his role next to All-Star Bradley Beal. As a primarily off-ball player, Sato knocked down nearly 40% of his three-point shots. 97% of those shots were off of an assist. All those numbers are a stark contrast from Kris Dunn. Dunn at times refused to shoot the ball from deep and often missed when he did. Kris also lacks the ability to play off the ball. His game requires him to be ball-dominant which doesn’t work with a ball-dominant star such as Zach LaVine.
Sato fits like a glove next to LaVine. Zach would be able to control the offense and not be the sole scoring threat in the backcourt. Add in Tomas’s 10 million per year contract, and it seems unlikely that the Bulls would pay a player like that to come off the bench immediately. Especially if he fits perfectly with the play style that is being established. The starting backcourt for the beginning of the season should feature Tomas Satoransky and Zach LaVine.
As for the backup spots, those units should have Dunn at point guard and Coby White at shooting guard. Coby, like Sato, possesses the skills to play off the ball. He can shoot the three and doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands to be successful. Staggering Kris’s minutes with LaVine is the best way to maximize the talent that he possesses. Letting Coby play with the second unit could help him get used to the NBA game quicker. The plan should then be to transition him into the starting lineup.
Coby White wasn’t drafted 7th overall to ride the bench. Once he shows enough promise with the second unit, the Bulls should move him into the starting lineup. He still wouldn’t be under a ton of pressure because he’d be playing with four other guys who can score at all three levels. The bench would receive a boost in itself with Tomas playing there. For this first season, him and Coby are interchangeable depending on performance.
Although Dunn is the “starter”, benching him in favor of Tomas Satoransky would maximize the talent on this roster.
Featured Image: Rob Carr/Getty Images
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