Chicago Bulls (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
After failing to reach the postseason for the third consecutive season, it’s time to look at how each Chicago Bulls player fared this year.
In hindsight, the 2019-20 Chicago Bulls season brought forth a Machiavellian catharsis that was absent from the previous several campaigns.
Sure, the team trudged through another joyless sub-.500 season with an offense that resembled something a four-year-old would draw up in NBA 2K. And yes, they also had to endure the indignity of having to listen to Jim Boylen’s empty platitudes. But when your 22-43 record results in not only Boylen getting fired but also longtime scourges Gar Forman and Jim Paxson, sometimes the ends justify the bad basketball.
The Bulls will now move forward with Arturas Karnisovas as executive vice president of basketball operations and Billy Donovan as the head coach, but what are these two inheriting with this roster besides a collective that finished with the ninth-worst net rating in the NBA and a scoring attack that tallied 3.9 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average?
To answer that question, we’ll need to evaluate and grade each Bulls player who played at least 500 minutes this past season. Given how things turned out, the grades won’t be THAT high, but it’s instructive to see how far the players have come and how far they need to go to turn this team into a playoff contender.
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<h4><strong>Daniel Gafford</strong></h4>
<p>You could probably take everything from the above paragraph and apply it to <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gaffoda01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Daniel Gafford</a>, though he was more limited than Carter was offensively (-1.90 O-PIPM) and sent shots back at a higher rate (8.7 block percentage compared to Carter’s 2.7). His per-game rim gravity, while decent, leaves much to be desired (1.50, 69th percentile, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.bball-index.com/current-pipm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to BBall Index</a>), but improved spacing from the rest of the team would make things easier for Gafford to the point where his offense doesn’t negate <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/08/09/can-daniel-gafford-become-an-upper-tier-rim-protector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his defense</a> (1.13 D-PIPM). He’ll surely be glad to get the chance to do so with a coach he doesn’t despise. <strong>Grade: C- </strong></p>
<h4><strong>Luke Kornet </strong></h4>
<p>In 36 games, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kornelu01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Luke Kornet</a> offered little spacing from deep (28.7 percent from 3-point range; 41st percentile in 3-point gravity), which isn’t good under any circumstance, but especially when spacing the floor is the main reason why you were brought in (36 percent from 3 in his previous two seasons). In fairness, his track record suggests he won’t make only 21.6 percent of his open 3’s and 34.4 percent of his wide-open 3’s again, but that momentary lapse in marksmanship rendered him a liability when he played. <strong>Grade: D-</strong></p>
<h4><strong>Chandler Hutchison </strong></h4>
<p>Like Kornet, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hutchch01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 ref="nofollow">Chandler Hutchison</a> didn’t log much playing time (527 minutes), but he showed in that brief time that he can defend moderately well (0.00 D-PIPM) despite allowing his fair share of good shots (fourth percentile in Regularized Adjusted Deterrence or RAD). His shooting (31.6 percent on 3’s) has to improve if he wants to become a viable backup wing. <strong>Grade: D</strong></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/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Forwards </a>
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<img class="wp-image-393973 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1150,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F906707128.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="1600" height="1150" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/906707128.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/906707128-768x552.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Chicago Bulls Forwards</h2>
<h4><strong>Lauri Markkanen </strong></h4>
<p>Three seasons in and Lauri Markkanen remains the most baffling player on the roster. We all know about that velvety shooting form but the production from 3-point range — which has hovered around league average in his first two seasons and dipped to 34.4 percent last year — hasn’t matched the aesthetics.</p>
<p>He still attracts plenty of attention at the arc (87th percentile in 3-point gravity per game) and the rim (72nd percentile in rim gravity per game), but if he doesn’t improve, defenders may start to ignore him more regularly. Perhaps <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/06/24/chicago-bulls-need-draft-playmaker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting a point guard</a> who can get him the ball in comfortable spots could help in that area. On the plus side, his defense got better (0.3 DPIPM), so that’s encouraging. <strong>Grade: C-</strong></p>
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<h4><strong>Thaddeus Young: </strong></h4>
<p>Question: What do you get when you force career-33 percent 3-point shooter to become a stretch four? You get a player who finished with a -2.42 O-PIPM. Yes, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/y/youngth01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Thaddeus Young</a> shooting over 35 percent from long distance on the highest volume of his career worked out okay, but the decision to use him as a floor spacer led to him taking fewer shots in the paint (63.1 percent of his shots were 2’s and 32.9 percent were inside 3 feet; both career lows), where he has excelled for most of his career.</p>
<p>His defense wasn’t terrible (-0.11 D-PIPM), but it wasn’t good enough to negate his unremarkable shooting and non-existent playmaking (3.5 assists per 100 possessions). <strong>Grade: D</strong></p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-407911" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2104,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1219026938.jpeg" alt="New York" width="3200" height="2104" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1219026938.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1219026938-768x505.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1219026938-850x560.jpeg 850w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Chicago Bulls Guards</h2>
<h4><strong>Zach LaVine </strong></h4>
<p>Easily the Bulls’ best offensive, if not overall, player, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lavinza01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Zach LaVine</a> excelled as the primary ball-handler (62nd percentile in pick-and-roll points per possession or PPP) and in the few chances he received as a spot-up shooter (42.6 percent on catch-and-shoot 3’s). But he needs to <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/02/28/chicago-bulls-zach-lavine-overrated/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continue to work</a> on his facilitating (5.9 assists per 100; 4.8 turnovers per 100) if he wants to reach the upper-tiers on that end of the floor. The less said about his defense (-2.55 D-PIPM), the better. <strong>Grade: B-</strong></p>
<h4><strong>Kris Dunn </strong></h4>
<p>Defense was always <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dunnkr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kris Dunn</a>‘s calling card, but before a knee injury ended his season, he was establishing himself as <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/10/chicago-bulls-kris-dunn-defense-offense/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the best players in the league on that end of the floor</a> (sixth in D-PIPM, second in defensive box plus/minus, and sixth in defensive RAPTOR). His unimpressive offense was still a problem (51 percent true shooting, -1.58 O-PIPM), but what he did defensively this year more than covered for that. <strong>Grade: B-</strong></p>
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<h4><strong>Coby White </strong></h4>
<p>Man, does <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/whiteco01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Coby White</a> love to shoot. He chucked it a lot during his <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/07/07/chicago-bulls-coby-white-rookie-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">up-and-down rookie season</a>, particularly from 3-point range with underwhelming results (35.4 percent on 10.8 attempts per 100 possessions). He made enough to keep defenders in his orbit (80th percentile in 3-point per game gravity) but his ineffectiveness everywhere else on the floor made it hard for him to create easy shots for teammates (5.0 assists per 100 possessions).</p>
<p>His aggressiveness on offense also seemed to stop at the arc, as his lack of shots in the paint also limited his trips to the charity stripe (16.3 free throw rate). Worse yet, his defense — in which he gift-wrapped the most efficient shots on the court for his opponents (ninth percentile in RAD) — left plenty to be desired (-1.67 D-PIPM). <strong>Grade: D+</strong></p>
<h4><strong>Tomas Satoransky</strong></h4>
<p>To no one’s surprise, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/satorto01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Tomas Satoransky</a> was easily the Bulls’ best playmaker in 2019-20 (team-best 27.1 assist rate). Unfortunately, his mediocre shooting (32.2 percent from 3-point range) kept those passing lanes clogged enough to somewhat limit Satoransky’s effectiveness as a passer. Defensively, he was surprisingly excellent defending the pick-and-roll in limited spots (0.66 opponent’s PPP), but he was a nonfactor at the rim (opponents shot 70.4 percent against him from inside 6 feet) and allowed too many corner 3’s to feel good about his 35.4 opponent’s 3-point rate. <strong>Grade: C-</strong></p>
<h4><strong>Ryan Arcidiacono </strong></h4>
<p>It was great to see <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/10/10/chicago-bulls-season-player-grades/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/arcidry01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Ryan Arcidiacono</a> continue to improve his accuracy from 3-point range (career-high 39.1 percent), but his yearly uptick hasn’t forced defenders to stick by him as often as you’d think (42nd percentile in 3-point per game gravity). His struggles in the pick and roll (0.68 PPP) also undid whatever good he brought as a standstill shooter (38.9 percent on spot-up 3’s). He played ok defensively, but it would be a stretch to call it good (-0.17 D-PIPM). <strong>Grade: D-</strong></p>
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