The Chicago Bulls head to coaching camp in every week, which implies the NBA season is simply across the nook for a roster that has remained comparatively untouched within the offseason.
Ahead of media day and the staff’s journey to Nashville for preseason camp, listed here are 4 questions the Bulls must reply within the 2023-24 season.
1. Who is the purpose guard?
First issues first, the Bulls want to determine who’s working the offense.
This has been the prevailing query since Lonzo Ball’s damage in January 2022. The Bulls have rotated by a collection of less-than-ideal choices: Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Coby White. Each of those gamers has been handled as a stopgap, however that may’t be the established order for a 3rd consecutive season.
White grew as a playmaker final 12 months, however the Bulls by no means entrusted him with the beginning function, which frequently fell to Caruso. But Caruso’s minutes have all the time been restricted by the trouble required for his defensive rigor and his proclivity towards accidents, which stored him from persistently beginning. And regardless of momentarily shining as a degree guard alternative in his rookie season, Dosunmu fell out of the beginning rotation pretty early within the 2022-23 season.
The Bulls might choose one among these three gamers to take over completely this season. They might additionally look to newly acquired guard Jevon Carter, who beforehand supplied consistency in a secondary rotation function for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Although it’s all the time ultimate to outline roles by opening day, the Bulls have loads of time to work out the purpose guard place — even when which means making one other midseason change — however answering this query is a key step in constructing the identification of the Bulls offense.
2. Will the Bulls give DeMar DeRozan an extension?
DeMar DeRozan enters the final season of his three-year, $82 million contract this fall, which can drive the Bulls to find out whether or not they wish to decide to a long-term future with the star ahead. DeRozan is eligible for a four-year extension which might tally roughly $179 million, an expensive dedication for the Bulls to think about.
DeRozan has been named an All-Star in each of his seasons in Chicago. His numbers communicate for themselves, averaging 26.2 factors, 5 assists and 4.9 rebounds per recreation over the previous two seasons. And it’s clear what the Bulls get off the court docket from DeRozan as effectively — a well-respected skilled who welcomes younger gamers into his house for offseason coaching periods and makes use of his wealth of expertise to heart the locker room tradition.
The Bulls have remained dedicated to DeRozan even when the staff as a complete underperformed within the final two seasons, however a four-year extension is the kind of resolution that can form the way forward for the franchise as a complete. This resolution isn’t simply an important for this season — it could possibly be some of the essential calls the entrance workplace makes for the short-term way forward for the Bulls.
3. Is Zach LaVine prepared for the following step?
If it appears like we’ve been asking this query for years — effectively, we’ve.
In the second 12 months of his most contract, Zach LaVine would be the star and the important thing to the Bulls success this season. But will he have the ability to propel the Bulls again into playoff rivalry?
There are good gamers and nice gamers. LaVine is clearly a high scorer and playmaker and his kind on the finish of final season confirmed flashes of who he can turn into as he transitions right into a league veteran. But final season additionally ended on a disappointing notice for LaVine, who scored solely 15 factors and light out of sight within the remaining minutes of a play-in loss to the Miami Heat.
That’s only one recreation. And this 12 months, LaVine will get one other crack at it — as soon as once more because the centerpiece star, this time with a barely improved backup on the roster. How he responds to these moments will decide the place he falls within the “good or great” categorization.
4. If issues don’t work, will the entrance workplace make a change?
Over the previous two seasons, it’s been troublesome to find out how the Bulls entrance workplace defines success.
In 2021-22, it was clear {that a} playoff berth no less than considerably softened the blow of an in any other case irritating season. But final season was a transparent regression, with the Bulls mired in play-in rivalry — moderately than actual playoff competitors — for many of the season.
Despite this clear dissatisfaction, the Bulls have barely touched their roster over the previous two seasons. They made a handful of midlevel acquisitions this offseason, most notably Carter and Torrey Craig. But the entrance workplace has not been fast to tug the plug and reset the roster, even when issues aren’t working.
Will this be the season that one thing modifications? If the Bulls aren’t profitable forward of the commerce deadline in February, it’s exhausting to see how the entrance workplace might rationalize inaction for a second straight 12 months.
But first, there are 4 months of basketball to play earlier than the entrance workplace faces that call — beginning with the primary preseason recreation on Oct. 8.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com