2017–18 Chicago Bulls player preview: the wings
Player previews are great, but they can get a little tired after a while. This season at BC, we’ve decided to keep things fresh. You might not see a preview for every player, and the previews you do see might have a decidedly non-basketball tint. Let’s get weird.
Guys, the Bulls wing rotation, like its other rotations, is a bit rough. Let’s go rapid fire, and keep things light with some throwback rom-com references.
Denzel Valentine
It was an up-and-down rookie year for Denzel Valentine. The Michigan State grad showed some flashes every now and then, especially from long range, but injuries and a complete lack of awareness on defense kept him from really making his mark on the team. Valentine should benefit from the youth movement happening in Chicago, but at the same time, “run and gun” might not be the best style for one of the slowest guys in the league.
My hope for Valentine is that he takes strides as a passer and a playmaker while staying consistently hot from behind the arc. If he can grow into a solid, approaching multidimensional offensive player, he should be able to stay on the court despite the defensive struggles that probably aren’t going anywhere.
Romantic Comedy comparison: Say Anything. Definitely has moments, but it’s unavoidably slow, and older than you want to admit.
Paul Zipser
The #zipserhive is going to be even stronger this season, partially because Zipser is primed for a bigger year and partially because what else are we going to do? Seriously though, the German sophomore arguably has the best two-way potential of anyone on the team. He’s got the starting small forward spot, and he’ll likely have it all year barring anything crazy. Expect his defense to “slump” this season simply because he’ll probably be guarding the best wing on the other team instead of backups/scrubs. On offense, the hope is he develops a consistent 3-point stroke and maybe gets up for some backdoor cuts as well.
Romantic Comedy comparison: What a Girl Wants. A 2003 Amanda Bynes movie is absolutely the European second-round pick of rom-coms. I don’t owe you any further explanation.
Justin Holiday
Color me skeptical that the “Justin Holiday will lead the Bulls in scoring” take currently making the rounds will actually play out this season, especially considering he’s never averaged more than 20 minutes a game. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though, and the pathway there isn’t exactly filled with obstacles. Holiday isn’t a very exciting player, but he proved last season in New York that he belonged in an NBA rotation (he played all 82 games), and he’ll have every opportunity to cement his place in Chicago before Zach LaVine boots him out of the starting lineup.
Romantic Comedy comparison: Roman Holiday. Cuz…well…you know.
Quincy Pondexter
First, pause reading this and go read Chris Haynes’ excellent story on Quincy Pondexter’s scary time away from basketball. It’s impossible not to root for this guy. As you can clearly see from the other names in this post, the Bulls need competent guys to soak up wing minutes, and the hope is that Pondexter can stay healthy enough to do that. He’s absolutely capable of it. The health is the only question mark. In the 45 games he played with New Orleans at the end of the 2014–15 season, Pondexter averaged almost 28 minutes a game and shot 43 percent from deep. Granted, that was a long time ago, and Pondexter is a lot closer to 30, but I choose to have hope.
Romantic Comedy comparison: You’ve Got Mail. A little bit on the old side, and it’s been so long since you’ve seen it that you forgot it’s got some serious moments. Plus, you can’t prove that Pondexter doesn’t run an independent bookstore with Steve Zahn in the offseason.
David Nwaba
Nwaba is the wild card of this group. After playing only 20 games for the Lakers last year, he earned a spot on the Bulls with mostly athleticism and potential. In his limited time in LA (#smallsamplesizealert), his per 36 numbers are encouraging. 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. That many rebounds for a shooting guard is a positive sign, and seeing as Chicago’s transition defense is going to be an unavoidable dumpster fire, Fred Hoiberg might as well have Nwaba try to crash the boards and create second chances. He might get pushed to the bench once LaVine returns, but maybe he’ll play his way into a real role. Time will tell.
Romantic Comedy comparison: Leap Year. Don’t think this was ever in theaters (undrafted), and it’s not good, but it gets some run anyway (i.e. my girlfriend and I have seen it twice).
