Bill Donovan is the newly appointed head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Here are the steps he must take to succeed in his new job.
After trading away Paul George and Russell Westbrook last offseason, the OKC Thunder were expected to miss the playoffs in 2020. Sure, they were bringing in a future Hall of Famer in Chris Paul, but no one in the basketball world thought that alone would be enough to get them into the playoffs in the tough Western Conference.
A lot of coaches would have begun updating their resume as soon as they learned they were losing a former MVP along with a reigning MVP finalist. But Billy Donovan refused to go down without a fight. Giving in to low expectations has never been the mantra of the former Providence point guard turned head coach.
With Paul setting the stage, the Thunder surprised everyone and played their way into the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Up and coming combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began to come into his own. Veteran big man Steven Adams remained the strongest man In the world and Danilo Gallinari continued to be one of the best players to never make an All-Star team.
However, the scrappy style that forced the Houston Rockets to a Game 7 in an entertaining first-round series was not enough to keep Billy Donovan’s job. Shortly after the season was over, the organization announced they would not bring Donovan back as head coach for the next season.
The Chicago Bulls are a proud organization with a lot of tradition. They’ve also missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. The Windy City is not known to show patience with its sports franchises. Winning now is always a priority.
With that in mind, management wasted no time naming Billy Donovan their new head coach as soon as he became available. Bulls fans are hopeful he can do for them what he did for the Thunder. If the Bulls can maximize their potential, a playoff birth is not out of the question. Here are the ways Billy Donovan can help them get there.
Chicago Bulls</a> are a proud organization with a lot of tradition. They’ve also missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. The Windy City is not known to show patience with its sports franchises. Winning now is always a priority.</p>
<p>With that in mind, management wasted no time naming Billy Donovan their new head coach as soon as he became available. Bulls fans are hopeful he can do for them what he did for the Thunder. If the Bulls can maximize their potential, a playoff birth is not out of the question. Here are the ways Billy Donovan can help them get there.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_411800" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img class="size-full wp-image-411800" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1197220345.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1197220345.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1197220345-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>5. Show players he respects them as professionals</h2>
<p>Last season, head coach Jim Boylen instituted a clock-in and clock-out system for players as they entered and exited the practice facilities. Former NBA players sounded off in interviews that they’d never heard of anything like that in the league and stated they’d be personally offended if their coach tried it. Rumors of Boylen treating his team like a high school program and not an NBA roster swirled around the team all season.</p>
<p>Chicago’s lone All-Star candidate, Zach LaVine, was benched early in a game against the Miami Heat last November. This led to a verbal sparring match in the media between him and Boylen that lasted the rest of the season. LaVine didn’t feel like he had the trust of his head coach even though he was clearly the most productive player on the team.</p>
<p>When players feel like they will be punished for small mistakes instead of empowered to atone for them, they will stop playing for the coach and start playing for themselves. LaVine eventually got his mojo back and had the most prolific scoring season of his career. However, the team never gelled and LaVine’s exploits did not translate to wins.</p>
<p>Billy Donovan has been known to recognize players’ strengths and embrace them. He saved Dion Waiter’s career in his first year in OKC. After an erratic stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a tumultuous half-season with the Thunder, it looked like Waiters was going to have to make a living overseas</p>
<p>However, Donovan came to town and recognized Waiter’s true fit in the NBA as a spark-plug. A spark-plug is not a well-rounded player or a full-time starter. He’s a guy who has one role, come into the game, make a few plays and from time to time score in double digits if he’s having a good night. Donovan recognized that Waiters would never an All-NBA performer. He empowered Waiters to do what he does best, score in bunches.</p>
<p>Instead of LeBron James going to management asking them to trade him, Waiters had Kevin Durant publicly praising the way he’d embraced his role in OKC. This was a complete 180 and it saved Waiters’ career.</p>
<p>The Bulls need Donovan to work his magic in Chicago. He must empower proven players like Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to perform at a high level by letting them know they are trusted and valued. If he gains the confidence of those two guys, the rest of the locker room will fall in line.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_392929" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img class="size-full wp-image-392929" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1187924731.jpeg" alt="chicago bulls" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1187924731.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1187924731-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo by Stacy Revere Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>4. Keep Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen healthy</h2>
<p>Zach LaVine was the only player in the Bulls’ organization to play like an All-Star last season. This was partly because he enjoyed the best health of his career. Last season, he played in 60 out of 65 games, the most since he appeared in all 82 games as a 20-year-old sophomore.</p>
<p>While LaVine’s health is certainly trending in the right direction, the two-time slam dunk champion does have an unfortunate injury history. In the 2017-18 season, he played in a total of 24 games after an ACL injury ended his prior campaign prematurely. The next season, an assortment of injuries caused him to miss 19 games. Last year was a bounce-back season for LaVine. Fans in Chicago are hoping that the high flyer’s string of good health continues. If he does he could very well be the franchise’s first All-Star selection since Jimmy Butler in 2017.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/ejXfuPVxynA?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Lauri Markkanen, on the other hand, missed 15 games last season due to a stress reaction to his right pelvis. Watching Lauri play, he exhibits the agility of a player who’s 6’7″ which makes it easy to forget that he’s 7’0″ tall. Guys his height traditionally recover from injuries slower than shorter players and they’re often more susceptible to getting hurt again after the initial injury occurs. Even two seasons ago, a right elbow sprain cost Markkanen the first 23 games of the year. The Bulls cannot reach their full potential if he and LaVine are not at 100 percent.</p>
<p>It’s going to be Donovan’s job to make sure these up and coming stars, who are without question the best two players on the team, stay healthy throughout the season. Although load management has become an ugly phrase in NBA circles, a similar yet less extreme approach may have to be applied here. The balance of power in the Eastern Conference will be fragile next season. Chicago has a chance to sneak into the playoffs. Nothing would be worse than making it in and having one of these two guys unavailable due to injury.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_409917" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img class="size-full wp-image-409917" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1184848497.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1184848497.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1184848497-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>3. Embrace the youth movement</h2>
<p>The Chicago Bulls have the fourth pick in this year’s upcoming draft. Conventional wisdom says that Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman will be the top three picks in one order or another. Although those three franchise changing players will most likely be gone by the time Chicago’s number is called, it doesn’t mean that the fourth pick won’t be a selection that can impact the franchise for years to come.</p>
<p>In addition to having a high draft pick, the Bulls also have two very good young players who must be allowed to develop for the sake of the team. Coby White is entering his second season and Wendell Carter Jr. is entering his third.</p>
<p>Last season, White showed flashes of brilliance, shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point land over the course of the year. He is ultra-confident and has the ability to heat up quickly from beyond the arc. In a game against the New York Knicks last November, White hit seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone.</p>
<p>Last season Wendell Carter Jr. put up impressive averages of 11.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He has the potential to become a walking double-double. An elite interior defender and rebounder can help any team in the league, especially a team as young as the Bulls.</p>
<p>While encouraging veterans like LaVine, Markkannen and Otto Porter Jr. to take the lead will be important next season, Donovan must also prioritize cultivating his young talent. One of the things he was praised for in OKC was allowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to flourish. He must take a similar approach with White and Carter Jr. If he does, they could become valuable pieces of the organization’s foundation for years to come.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_378658" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img class="size-full wp-image-378658" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1187384352.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1187384352.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1187384352-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>2. Establish an offensive identity</h2>
<p>Donovan must help the Chicago Bulls figure out who they are. Are they an isolation heavy team that allows Zach LaVine to go one on one almost every possession in the pattern of the Mike D’Antoni era Houston Rockets? Will they try an approach similar to the Golden State Warriors’ heyday and rely on ball movement, good passing and player movement without the ball? Will they revert to 90s era basketball and dump the ball inside, wait for a double team and then kick it out to the perimeter?</p>
<p>These questions about next year’s identity are all puzzling because no one knows what last season’s identity was.</p>
<p>There is talent on this roster; there is no denying that. Billy Donovan’s job will be to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Right now, Chicago’s offensive identity consists of four individually talented players in LaVine, Markkanen, Porter Jr. and White. The problem is they’re often just taking turns looking for a shot instead of working together as a unit. This only works in AAU or EYBL ball, not in the NBA.</p>
<p>Last season, Donovan had the luxury of handing the ball to one of the best playmakers in the history of the game in Chris Paul. Next season, he’s going to have to revert to his days as the head coach of the Florida Gators and teach guys how to play. Any hopes Chicago has at becoming a winning team depends on it.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_407914" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img class="size-full wp-image-407914" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1164,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1219026705.jpeg" alt="New York" width="1600" height="1164" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1219026705.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1219026705-768x559.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>1. Reduce turnovers and improve rebounding</h2>
<p>The Chicago Bulls showed the world their youth and inexperience last season in an ugly display of bad turnovers and poor rebounding. The fact is, no team in the history of basketball has been talented enough to win while performing poorly in these two categories.</p>
<p>Not taking care of the ball results in more scoring opportunities for the opposition. Poor rebounding means more second-chance opportunities for the other team and fewer shot attempts on offense.</p>
<p>Whether it’s box-out drills in practice or ball handling drills while wearing winter gloves, Donovan will have to employ some old-school tactics to get this team into shape. He has to gain their trust, letting them know he is doing this with good intentions, but it must be done.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oz-UalDRUpo?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Last season the Bulls ranked 24th in turnovers per game with an awful 14.6 per contest. They were even worse on the glass, ranking 29th in rebounds per game with 41.0 per contest.</p>
<p>Bill Donovan has been a winner wherever he goes. While he was at the University of Florida, he won two national championships. In five seasons in Oklahoma City, he posted a winning record every year and never missed the playoffs.</p>
<p>Next season, he hopes to continue his winning ways. The good news is the Bulls have the talent to do it. The question is will they follow instructions and turn those dreams into a reality.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Best Hall of Famer from each franchise" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/05/best-basketball-hall-fame-inductee-nba-franchise/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/15/steps-billy-donovan-must-take-to-succeed-as-chicago-bulls-head-coach/"https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/05/best-basketball-hall-fame-inductee-nba-franchise/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Best Hall of Famer from each franchise </a> </div>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—>">