After watching the Chicago Bulls run out of gas in last year’s playoffs and fall well short of their goal of contending for an NBA championship, it was clear that changes need to be made. For a couple of years, the absence of Derrick Rose was the excuse. Last year, he played and the team was still way short of expectations. That’s why head coach Tom Thibodeau was fired and replaced with Fred Hoiberg.
Chicago has gone all-in with a veteran cast led by Rose, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler, and with a new bench boss, we should see a different look from them this season. Here is a look at four potential changes we could see for the Bulls in 2015.
Increased Pace
Every year, it seems as though Chicago was destined to finish among the worst teams in the NBA in terms of pace and it happened again last year when the Bulls finished in the bottom third. That should change moving forward though as Hoiberg has already said his team will push the ball more. After all, they have the weapons to do it.
The improved tempo should lead to more offense and that will mean the Chicago stars should put up better numbers at the offensive end of the floor. Hoiberg wants to see them push the pace and maximize their offensive potential this season.
More Responsibilities For The Youngsters
One of the biggest criticisms of Thibodeau was his overreliance on his veteran players and refusal to give an impressive young core more playing time. Butler led the way for Chicago with an average of 38.7 minutes per game last season while Gasol averaged 34.4 minutes per game. Both were among league leaders at their position and that can’t happen again. Also, both Rose and Noah hit the 30 minute per game mark, which is too much for them too.
It is almost guaranteed that all four players will see their minutes scaled back while second-year players like Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott get a bump. Rookie first-round pick Bobby Portis also thrived in the NBA Summer League at the center position and should get a better chance to prove he belongs in his first year. The bottom line is that the Bulls have tons of depth. Now they’ll finally use it.
Gasol & Noah Will Not Start Together
There was an interesting report out of Chicago that the Bulls will not start both Gasol and Noah at the same time this season. That is certainly another aspect of young players getting a bigger push. Mirotic in particular impressed with his team-high net rating of 6.1 and he averaged 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 three-point shots in 28 games after the All-Star break.
The boost came as he took advantage of a slight bump in playing time at 26.0 minutes per game while the team dealt with injuries. Mirotic has the potential to develop into a star at the NBA level and we can certainly expect he will be featured more along with Gasol and Noah in the Bulls rotation of big men.
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Butler Becomes A True Star
The 25-year-old Butler touched on his potential last season when he averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game but he was played into the ground and faded down the stretch. No player in the league played more minutes than his 38.7 minutes. This year, he should have more help at both ends of the floor this season and that should take some pressure off.
Hoiberg has preached pace, tempo and creativity at the offensive end of the floor and while every single player on the Bulls roster should benefit from the coaching change, it will be Butler that gets the biggest boost. The young shooting guard is coming off a strong year in Chicago but he hasn’t hit his peak potential just yet. The Bulls gave him a max contract in the offseason, so Butler is being paid like a star. Now the expectation is that he fully becomes one.
