In preparation for the upcoming 2019-20 NBA season, it’s time to take a look at five critical questions for the Chicago Bulls this year.
1. Who will lead the Bulls in scoring this season?
Zach LaVine. Bold, I know!
LaVine led the Bulls with 23.7 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting last season, and there’s reason to believe he could be even better this year. With Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and Tomas Satoransky likely to flank him in Chicago’s starting lineup, LaVine won’t have to do as much heavy lifting on offense, which should only improve his efficiency.
“You take a little bit of the load off, definitely,” LaVine said in reference to playing alongside his new teammates, per Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago. “Because in the beginning of the year last year, I had to go out there and help us compete for games. That was how I felt I had to do it. I had to go out there and make sure we were in games and competing.
“I don’t feel like I have to do that now. I’ll be all ready for the fourth quarter to come and bring it home. But we’ll be collective and together. I definitely feel like the burden will be off me and it’ll make me get some easier shots and looks, and I’ll be fresher for the fourth.”
LaVine had the highest usage rate on the Bulls last season (30.5 percent), and there’s no reason to expect that to change this year despite the upgraded supporting cast. He’s still their best threat to create off the dribble, which should make him the go-to option in crunch time.
2. Who should lead the Bulls in scoring this season?
Zach LaVine.
Bulls fans might want Lauri Markkanen to seize that mantle, but it’s likely one year too early. Markkanen did average 18.7 points on 43.0 percent shooting in 32.3 minutes per game as a sophomore, but he’s missed 44 of a possible 164 games over his first two NBA seasons.
A preseason elbow injury delayed Markkanen’s debut last season until Dec. 1, and it took him a while before he found his groove. The Finnish 7-footer averaged 26.0 points on 48.6 percent shooting and 12.2 rebounds during 10 games in February, but he cooled off in March before missing the final seven games of the season.
The Bulls signed Thaddeus Young, who’s best suited as a small-ball 4, along with underrated stretch-5 Luke Kornet this offseason. That should allow them to regulate the regular-season workloads for both Markkanen and Carter to help them stay healthy and avoid any overuse injuries.
Markkanen has the upside to become a 20-plus-points-per-game scorer one day, and he might even crack that threshold this season. But the Bulls should be more focused on getting the 22-year-old through a full season healthy before pushing him to take over LaVine’s role as the No. 1 offensive option.
3. How shocked would you be if Otto Porter Jr. made the All-Star team?
On a scale of 1-10, I’d be a 9.5. And this is coming from a fellow Georgetown alum who’s been stanning for the guy since his college days.
The Eastern Conference is somewhat bereft of top-end talent in the wake of Kawhi Leonard’s defection to the West, but there are still plenty of All-Star-caliber forwards floating around the conference. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Blake Griffin, Jimmy Butler and Pascal Siakam should all be shoo-ins for a spot, while Ben Simmons (if he’s listed as a forward), Khris Middleton, Jayson Tatum and Aaron Gordon are lurking, too.
Besides, Porter’s game doesn’t lend itself to All-Star candidacy. He’s never going to supplant LaVine or Markkanen as the Bulls’ top scoring option. Instead, he’s best suited as a two-way glue guy who can fill in the gaps behind Chicago’s star duo.
Porter may be the Bulls’ third-best player this season, but fringe playoff teams don’t get three All-Stars, even in the depleted East. While LaVine and Markkanen have a legitimate chance to battle for All-Star nods this year, it would be genuinely shocking to see Porter join them for the festivities in Chicago.
4. What’s the only appropriate nickname for Coby White?
Sideshow Cob.
Although I’ll happily defer to Jim Boylen here, who dubbed LaVine a “Cephalapoid” in honor of the Men in Black alien with superhuman speed and jumping ability.
That…might be the best thing Jim Boylen has done since taking over the Bulls?
5. Playoffs, yeah or nah?
Probably not, but it isn’t totally outside the realm of possibility.
Barring significant injuries and/or fire sales at the trade deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors all seem like relative playoff locks. That leaves two spots for the likes of the Bulls, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.
The Magic made the playoffs last year, ran back the same core and might get something of value from 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz this year, which seemingly gives them the inside track on one of those two remaining playoff spots. That leaves one spot for the Heat, Pistons and Bulls.
The Pistons are top-heavy outside of Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Derrick Rose, but that top-end talent is hard to ignore. The Heat added a star of their own this offseason in Jimmy Butler, while Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro could give them a youthful spark.
The Bulls have one of the best young five-man cores in the league with White, LaVine, Porter, Markkanen and Carter, but they’re likely one year away from legitimately contending for a playoff spot.