We are mere hours away from the official start of NBA Free Agency, and the annual reshaping of the League. I’m not expecting too much crazy from the Bulls. Maybe Zach LaVine is traded (at this point you can say that at every major NBA transaction period). The Bulls have already re-signed Nikola Vucevic, and extended qualifying offers to Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, making the young guards restricted free agents. Andre Drummond has opted into his final contract year with the Bulls, Derrick Jones Jr. has opted out. And that’s where we stand with the known quantities at the start of Bulls free agency.
Last week, I laid out 4 Draft Day Scenarios that the Bulls were likely to follow, so of course they chose Scenario Q. They traded 2 future second round draft picks for the 35th pick overall, which they used to select Julian Phillips, a 6’8″ wing out of Tennessee.
Phillips looks to be another toolsy, defense first, project for the Bulls development coaches to work with. A lot of folks have been comparing him to last years draft pick Dalen Terry, both being long, lanky, defenders with some deficiencies in the shooting department. From the little bit of what I’ve seen of Phillips, he is nowhere near as talented a creator as Terry is with the ball in his hands. But they both have plenty of time to grow, and if Phillips is as hard a worker as Terry seems to be, I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of these guys getting some rotation minutes sooner rather than later.
A good number of fans (including myself) have been disappointed in the drafting philosophy of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, but they seem to believe the draft is for projects. Going all the way back to their first draft pick, Patrick Williams, AKME haven’t shied away from taking guys that have more potential than developed skills. Every draft, I am reminded of a Karnisovas comment from around the time of that P. Will draft. Paraphrasing, he said he hoped he never ever had to pick as high as #4 in the draft for the rest of his tenure. It was an offhand comment, and, at the time, I think most of us just assumed he hoped the team would have sustained success, and would never lose enough games to be picking in the lottery. But seeing the types of players that the Bulls have drafted, maybe Karnisovas really meant there was more value in taking late 1st and 2nd round projects than there is in taking a potential “can’t miss” star and watching them fail to meet the lofty expectations of a hungry fan base.
How frustrated have we fans been with Patrick Williams “lack” of development? Like so many other top 10 draft picks before him (Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Wendell Carter Jr, Ben Gordon, Eddie Curry, Marcus Fizer, Jay Williams, to name a few) Patrick Williams seems destined to disappoint Bulls fans. But I think it’s important to remind everyone that P. Will is still 5 years away from what is usually the start of a players prime. That’s 5 years the Bulls have to develop him along side Terry, Phillips, Ayo, and White.
As we sit on the precipice of NBA Free Agency, the biggest acquisition the Bulls make this offseason might be the hiring of Shooting Coach and new Head of Player Development, Peter Patton. He will be the man responsible for turning all the young projects on the roster into fully fledged NBA players.
I still believe the Bulls are 5 (Patrick Williams development) years away from seriously competing for championships, and in those years the young players should have the time to develop their missing skills and round out their games. Thinking of the 3 recent Bulls draft picks that have experienced the greatest success, Derrick Rose was a generational talent, but Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler were both fierce competitors and hard workers. Both Jo and Jimmy actualized their vast potential over several years of hard work.
P. Will, Ayo, Terry, White, and Phillips, all need that time, but more importantly they need that fierce competitive spirit and someone to help turn the potential into actual skills. Noah has always credited veteran center Brad Miller as being a huge influence on his development. Butler always appreciated Coach Tom Thibodeau pushing him to be better, and Butler made his bones chasing the Legend of Derrick Rose. This is why it encourages me every time a video pops up of the Bulls young players working out with DeMar DeRozan.
Young players need a veteran, or a coach, to take them under their wing and push them to realize their potential. DeMar DeRozan is the perfect veteran to do that. Not only is he an excellent player, All Star, and leader, he is a man that isn’t afraid to face his personal demons. There are very few veterans in the league I would pick over DeRozan to help oversee the development of their young teammates.
And I think the Bulls agree with me. I don’t foresee the Bulls parting ways with DeRozan any time soon.
Whatever happens today in free agency, the Bulls appear committed to taking and developing projects. AKME are playing the Long Game, and that means Bulls fans are going to have to be patient. The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets weren’t built in a single offseason.
Over the next few days, weeks, and months we’ll see what the Bulls do to get better for next season. Trades, signings, salary cap permutations, all of that will get sorted out. And until it does, thanks to my subscribers, thanks for reading, and GO BULLS!
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