Bulls Lineup Change: One Longtime Voice Wants Two Starters Bumpe
· Yahoo Sports
One of the most familiar voices around the Bulls wants to rearrange the starting five. Sam Smith has covered the franchise for decades, and in his latest mailbag on the team’s official site he laid out a specific plan. The timing is hard to ignore. Chicago is 1-6, and a Bulls lineup change has gone from quiet grumbling to a public suggestion.
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Bulls Lineup Change: Sam Smith Wants Giddey and Buzelis in the Second Unit
Sam Smith’s proposed starting group is Tre Jones, Norman Powell, Caleb Wilson, Jalen Smith and Nic Claxton. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis would move to a second unit with Isaac Okoro, Noa Essengue and Zach Collins.
His reasoning is simple. Buzelis has struggled to find his spot beside two ball-dominant scorers in Powell and Wilson. Giddey is missing the defensive cover he had last season with Okoro next to him. The current starters, Sam says, were picked “more on reputation than merit.” He’d call it an alternate unit, not a benching.
There’s fine print. The plan depends on Claxton, who hasn’t played this season because of a hamstring strain, being ready, and on Jalen Smith bouncing back from a fall against the Knicks. Sam thinks Claxton’s return could come as soon as Sunday’s rematch with the 76ers at the United Center.
The Numbers Behind the Bulls’ Starting Five Problem
The current group of Giddey, Powell, Buzelis, Wilson and Jalen Smith has been outscored by 14.3 points per 100 possessions over 210 possessions together, and the team’s defense is allowing 123.3 points per 100. Giddey is averaging a career-worst 9.1 points on 36.9% shooting, a steep drop from 17.0 on 44.8% last season.
Wilson, the No. 4 pick, is the one player nobody is questioning. He had 30 points and 14 rebounds against Washington on Oct. 24, and Sam says everyone else is under scrutiny.
Sam Smith’s Other Idea: Caleb Wilson at Point Forward
The lineup tweak isn’t the only thing Sam has in mind. He’d like to see Wilson handle the ball as a playmaking point forward, the way Dallas uses Cooper Flagg. He points to Deni Avdija’s growth in that role under Tiago Splitter in Portland. One way to get Wilson the ball more, he argues, is to start the possession with it in his hands. He admits it could be a painful learning process.
Will the Bulls Actually Make a Lineup Change?
Probably not yet. The Bulls haven’t signaled that anything is coming, and Sam notes that Splitter doesn’t like to make emotional lineup changes based on results. It’s also a developmental season. Sam flags a real risk too. Other teams might see Giddey or Buzelis as worth less if they stop starting, and Giddey is the highest-paid player on the roster.
But a 1-6 team with a minus-14.3 starting group doesn’t have much left to protect. If the Bulls lineup change never comes, the current five will have to prove Sam Smith wrong on the floor.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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