Bulls projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Chicago Bulls starting shooting guard: Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine gets knocked for essentially never playing a meaningful game in his career, and sure — LaVine has never sniffed contention. That said, it’s hard to fault a player for circumstances beyond his control. The Bulls acquired LaVine as part of the Jimmy Butler trade with Minnesota way back when. Neither the Wolves nor the Bulls have ever surrounded him with a competitive roster. It’s that simple.
Injuries have been a frequent nuisance for LaVine, but he has done his part for Chicago when available. He appeared in 77 games last season and averaged 24.8 points on 60.7 TS%, clearly the best player on the team. LaVine isn’t without shortcomings, primarily as a defender, but the list of more potent individual offensive guards is slim.
Despite a slew of lower-leg maladies, LaVine remains a one-percent athlete. He can burn even the best defenders with his slippery first step and he’s capable of truly show-stopping finishes at the rim. He also possesses one of the most picturesque jumpers in the game. His pull-up 3s are a thing of beauty.
The Bulls should probably pull the plug and test the LaVine trade market more earnestly, but it’s hard to blame the front office for not selling low on a talent of LaVine’s caliber. He’s probably better than his reputation suggests — largely because the team around him inspires such minimal confidence.
Primary backup shooting guard: Alex Caruso
Alex Caruso made his first All-Defensive team last season despite coming off the bench for the No. 9 seed, which speaks to his brilliance on that end of the floor. Caruso is one of the best sixth men in the NBA and, were it not for the breadth of guard talent in Chicago, he’d probably be a starter.
Caruso isn’t exactly known for his razzmatazz. He’s special because he does the dirty work, the small things. Caruso is everywhere on defense, always making timely rotations and mucking up passing lanes with his frenetic hands. On the ball, he’s built strong with the quickness to mirror the best ball-handlers in the NBA.
Offensively, Caruso doesn’t receive the credit he deserves. He’s not one for self-creation, but he can initiate simple sets and he’s a bankable 3-point shooter (36.4 percent last season). He has a good first step attacking downhill off the catch and he makes rapid-fire decisions in the flow of the offense. As the only ball-handler he may not shine, but when he’s able to play connector with multiple playmakers around him — as is the case in Chicago — Caruso is a consistent positive on both ends.