Bulls head coach Billy Donovan made what Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune describes as a “long overdue” change to his starting lineup on Monday vs. Denver, moving forward Patrick Williams to the bench and elevating guard Ayo Dosunmu in his place.
As Poe notes, Chicago’s guard-heavy starting five allowed the club to better match up with a Nuggets team that was starting three guards of its own (Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook, and Christian Braun), so there’s no guarantee Donovan will stick with the lineup change going forward. Still, the results were compelling.
The slumping Bulls picked up just their second win in their last nine games, registering a 129-121 victory over Denver, and Williams’ +16 mark in 28 minutes off the bench was a personal season high. After contributing 11 points and eight rebounds, the fifth-year forward – who had started 35 of 36 games before Monday – admitted to reporters that he didn’t mind being moved to the bench (Twitter video link via Poe).
“I would say yeah,” Williams said when asked if he’s more comfortable in a reserve role,” but I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable with starting. The second unit needs different things than the first unit. I’ve always tried to be a player that tries to fill any gap. I’m not trying to say that I’m one thing. I’m just trying to be a basketball player.”
As Poe writes, Williams wasn’t the only Bulls youngster who looked more comfortable in the adjusted rotation. Rookie Matas Buzelis was the first player off the bench and logged 20 minutes, his highest mark in over a month. He chipped in nine points and four rebounds and was a +10 during his time on the court. Dalen Terry also had a good night, with 13 points in 13 minutes and a +11 plus/minus rating.
The Bulls are expected to be without a couple key players when their three-game road trip begins on Wednesday in Boston, so Williams may end up being moved back to the starting five out of necessity, Poe writes. But she argues that if the Bulls want to try to boost the forward’s trade value ahead of next Thursday’s deadline, it might make sense to play him more often with the second unit, where he seems more comfortable.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- There’s “optimism” that Coby White, who was been dealing with a bone bruise in his right ankle, will be able to return during Chicago’s three-game road trip, Donovan said on Monday (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network). However, White likely won’t be active vs. Boston on Wednesday. “A few days ago, I think he was having a little bit of pain there, but that’s kind of subsided,” Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “He still has some things he has to do in terms of more movement, but [he’s] certainly closer to playing.”
- Zach LaVine will be out on Wednesday for personal reasons. According to Cowley, LaVine’s absence is related to the impending birth of his third child.
- In a story for The Tribune, Poe checks in on where things stand with several of the Bulls trade candidates, evaluating which players are most likely to be moved and what the team could realistically expect to receive in return. Discussing Nikola Vucevic, Poe contends that it’s realistic to expect a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran big man, who is having his best season since he arrived in Chicago in 2021.
- In case you missed it, we passed along several Bulls-related items on Monday, including the fact that the team has no untouchables in trade talks. Additionally, the Bulls and Suns reportedly discussed Bradley Beal, but the Phoenix guard is said to be uninterested in waiving his no-trade clause to go to Chicago.