Bulls Basketball is BACK (Almost)! Who Should Start?

Bulls Basketball is BACK (Almost)! Who Should Start?

The Bulls are playing basketball tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, it’s a preseason game. Yeah, we’re probably not going to see the highest level of intensity in play that you would otherwise see in a regular season or playoff game, but it’s still basketball nonetheless and the first time we’ve seen the Bulls play since, well, probably not a game we want to remember, but that blowout loss in the playin against the Miami Heat back in April. But we won’t think about that right now. It’s a new day, a new season, a new vibe for the Chicago Bulls. This Chicago Bulls team hopefully anyway, a new vibe. But while we’ve been nearly a week into training camp, we’ve been able to see some of the footage and highlights from the both social media accounts, some all access video clips as well. We’ve got to hear from the players, the coaching staff, we’ve seen, or should I say heard anyway, that there is a noticeable difference in the level of physicality and speed at which these guys are playing in camp. But all that aside, and we’ll talk a little bit on some of the latest updates that came out of camp more recently, I think most of us, all of us Bulls fans are curious about who is going to be in that starting lineup to kick off this season. And I’m specifically referring to that starting small forward spot and even, you know, whoever the Bulls roll out in that starting unit in tomorrow’s preseason opener won’t necessarily guarantee who Billy Donovan is going to go with in the regular season. It’s a good indication of what to expect. And so in this video, I want to dive into this a little bit further in terms of who is most likely going to get that starting spot at the three and the benefits and drawbacks of each player that is vying for that role. So, what’s going on everyone? You’re listening to Bull Central here. Hope you’re all doing well. Apologies for not having any content over the weekend and covering the latest on training camp over the weekend. It was my daughter’s birthday and my parents were in town and I wanted to focus on family during that time. But anyway, we’re back and we’ve got a game tomorrow. Now, as of right now, Billy Donovan has not yet revealed his starting lineup for the season, which usually coaches don’t do when they’re in the midst of training camp because they want to see how guys are showing up in camp. See who’s outperforming the others, which players are going to fit the best within the starting unit. But for the most part, we can presume four of the five Bull starters are locked in, that being Kobe and Giddy in the back court, Modis and Vu in the front court. I know some will say, “Well, why Voo, a 35-year-old player being in the starting lineup with this young lineup, a young lineup that wants to play fast and uptempo?” Well, he’s still on the roster and Vu is still a better player than Jaylen Smith and Zack Collins. Not only that, but Vu in training camp and in media day said nothing has been communicated to him about his role on the team changing from what it was last year. So, while some might not like it, Vu is going to be starting. It might not be for the whole season, but that’s how the season is going to start out. Now, that leaves one spot open. Who’s starting on the wing? Who’s going to be that small forward? Now, last season after the deadline, really after the Bulls moved on from Zack Lavine, the Bulls did go through a number of different starting lineup combinations. Some of this was due to injury to various players, but you saw Trey Jones starting, Julian Phillips starting, even Den Terry starting at times. But Kevin Hurder was the Bulls primary starter at the three to close out the year. And he played well in that role, serving as a movement shooter to help space the floor, taking advantage of opportunities on kickouts. And the Bulls ended up winning 13 of the 16 games that Herder started last season for them. Herder after Rocky’s start when he first joined the Bulls really found his groove and meshed well with these players and it paid dividends to the Bulls who saw a lot of winning as a result of it. Not that that was all on Herder. It’s not like Herder alone enabled the Bulls to win all those games, but he was in the starting lineup post all-star break. Herder shot near 40% from three on 60% true shooting percentage on a little over 14 points per game and was a contributing factor towards the Bulls success last season. He was effective and was efficient on offense. Here’s the challenge the Bulls face, though, and it’s obviously something, you know, they know, something they’re aware of and have acknowledged as much on media day. They’ve got to be better defensively, and they’ve got to get better with their level of physicality after that beatd down and the playin against the Miami Heat when the Miami Heat were leaps and bounds better in terms of their effort and intensity on the floor. And with that, in comes Isaac Auroro, who the Bulls just traded for. Alonzo Ball had that it factor, that grit, that level of defensive tenacity that the Bulls needed, but Lonzo could not be relied upon. missed more than half the season, obviously wasn’t playing when the Bulls were at their best towards the end of the year, and even when he was healthy, there was always going to be a level of precaution in terms of how hard he played, just how physical he could be when he was on the court. There are no limitations in terms of how physical Isaac Auroro can be on the court. Aoro is a young 24-year-old player who, for the most part, has been healthy and available throughout his career, doesn’t have to worry about sacrificing his body on the court, and isn’t shy about doing so, as we’ve already seen in training camp. And while Aoro isn’t the offensive player that Kevin Hurder is, Aoro has shown that he’s a locked down defender and is capable on a nightly basis of guarding the opposing team’s best player and brings a certain level of grit, hustle, and muscle that the Bulls were otherwise lacking last season. Like as good and fun as the Bulls offense was last year towards the end of the year, there wasn’t that level of defensive intensity and effort that you want to see where the guys are going all out on that side of the ball. Okoro brings that level of physicality, effort, and energy that this team needs. And that energy is infectious and contagious to the point where the rest of the guys on the roster want to meet that level of intensity. Beyond just the effort though and the defensive tenacity, I mean, some of Aoro’s defensive numbers are actually eye popping. Last season, the opponent shot 5% worse when Aoro was guarding said player. That’s on the whole, whether it be on the perimeter or the mid-range or in the paint near the rim. Around the rim specifically, guys that he was guarding shot 8.5% worse than they otherwise did against other defenders. It’s not only that he was one of these defenders that is more specialized in the point of attack or more focused on rim protection. He really is a versatile, well-rounded defender that can do it all. He can stay in front of his man with his lateral quickness when driving to the basket. He’s great at anticipating passes along the perimeter. He fights through screens. He just does all of the dirty work, something a player the Bulls didn’t really have last year after trading Alex Caruso. He’s arguably the Bulls only plus defender, at least when you look at this past season. Like the hope is a guy like Miles Bouselis who wants to be an alldefensive caliber player will elevate himself into being a true plus defender. Perhaps IO as well given he’s now fully healthy and has looked great in training camp. But for the time being based on what we know right now, Aoro is the Bull’s best defender and a net positive when he’s on that end of the floor. Now, of course, Aoro is obviously a very limited offensive player. He’s not going to give you 15 to 20 points per game. His shot is pretty inconsistent. Although he has shot the three ball well the past two seasons, albeit on low volume, he’s not that great at getting to the basket, recreating his own shot. Doesn’t get to the free throw line very often. When he does, he’s not that great of a free throw shooter, shooting 73% on his career from the line. But for me, I’m not as worried about the offensive firepower of the Bulls starting lineup. You have three very talented offensive players in Kobe, Giddy, and Buchich. Giddy obviously with his playmaking and ability to be the leader and floor general. Kobe is the bull’s primary scorer, which uh he has continued to get more and more efficient and effective as a scoreer with every passing season. And then Vuch is Vuch. Yeah, slowooted, but he’s always going to give you 17 to 20 points per game on solid efficiency and above average passing. And then I didn’t even mention Modus because we need more data to see if Modis can be that guy, at least for this upcoming season, to be a primary option on offense. Like I don’t doubt that he can absolutely get there eventually given his ability to play on and off the ball, great handles, using his athleticism to finish at the rim. But regardless, my point in all this is the Bulls when it comes to their starting lineup have guys that are very capable players on offense. What they need more than anything in that starting unit are guys that are going to be taking things up a notch on defense. And in my opinion, that’s why you need a guy like Aoro to be in that starting lineup to set the tone defensively. I think there is value to having Herder in the starting lineup because he is one of the better movement shooters in the league. That enables more opportunities for guys like Giddy and Kobe to drive to the paint when defenses are forced to pay attention to Herder moving along the perimeter. But if you start Herder over Aoro, it really limits you defensively. And as much as the Bulls like to play fast, they can wear teams down with their fast-paced tempo and beat teams up that way. That’s only going to be sustainable for so long, especially if the shots aren’t falling. And you have to have a player you can rely upon defensively to get you stops. But also, like I mentioned, set the tone on that side of the floor. Set the tone on defense to the point where it’s contagious and other guys want to bring that defensive effort to the floor when they see one of their teammates going all out on that end. And look, I’m sure the starting lineup is going to be fluid to start the season. Billy Donovan is likely going to be experimenting with a few lineups where Herder may start, Coro may start, maybe even throw IO into the starting lineup as well. Hell, do they experiment with some double big lineups where Jaylen Smith plays the floor and they move modest to the three? Does Patrick Williams wow in training camp and starts at the three like he did back when he was a rookie? I doubt it, but you never know. The Bulls have the luxury given they’re not going to be competing for a championship this season to be experimenting and trying a number of different lineups to see what fits best and leads to the most success. But if I was a betting man and what I think makes the most sense, it’s starting Aoro at the small forward to give the Bulls the requisite defense they desperately need in that unit. Just my take on the matter though. I would love to hear what you guys think. You let me know in the comments. As always, be sure to subscribe and I will see you in the next one.

Discussing who should start at small forward for the Bulls

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