2022–23 Bulls Player Previews: Frontcourt
Bulls Confidential Co-Editor Michael Walton II breaks down the Bulls frontcourt which features plenty of returning players and one big (literally) addition in Andre Drummond.
I don’t believe it is controversy to say that the Bulls were and still are a guard-oriented team. This season, even with Lonzo Ball out indefinitely, Chicago figures to get decent minutes out of Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Coby White, Goran Dragic and rookie Dalen Terry. That’s six players and of course, you would imagine someone is getting left out of the rotation completely once Ball returns.
The frontcourt is much more set in stone. Nikola Vucevic will be counted to score inside and out in a contract year. Javonte Green has the energy and defense-first attitude that makes him fit with most lineups coming off of the bench. Outside of that, the frontcourt will see Andre Drummond and possibly Derrick Jones come in for rebounding/defense purposes. But nothing is more important than Patrick Williams’s development. He will expected to play great defense and show more aggression on both sides of the ball. With Ball’s injury and LaVine already “load managing” a bothersome knee, now is literally the perfect time for Williams to show the NBA what kind of player he truly is.
Andre Drummond
I am personally a big fan of Andre Drummond. I believed in his potential coming out of UConn way back in 2012 and as a sucker for strong rebounding bigs, I really never gave up on Drummond. Of course, it is clear now that he is likely a career backup center albeit an extremely valuable one.
It is no coincidence that Drummond has played a role on winning teams the past few seasons, including stops with the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and most recently, the Brooklyn Nets. Last season Drummond played well but really caught on in Brooklyn, where he averaged 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 22 minutes per over 24 games.
The Bulls can probably expect closer to his full 2021–22 averages of around 8 points and 9 rebounds. But a near double-double in about 20 minutes or less is a truly impressive feat that Chicago badly needs. The Bulls ranked 28th in the NBA in offensive rebound rate despite being a fairly unimpressive 3-point shooting team. Drummond alone can help raise that number and give the Bulls more clean 3-point looks and 2nd chance points. Chicago was, by comparison, a great defensive rebounding team and Drummond will only further add to that strength.
Also to be filed under “interesting,” is the fact that Drummond has discussed the Bulls coaching staff encouraging him to take 3-pointers if he is wide-open:
“…I’m here to play the offense the right way. But if that shot does present itself I more than likely will take the shot. It’s not gonna be something where I’m shooting contested 3s or taking wild shots. It’s gonna be in the flow of the offense, if I’m open I’m shooting it.”
— Andre Drummond discussing his preseason 3-point attempts
I’m not exactly the biggest fan of this development, as fun as it is. Drummond taking any sort of 3-pointer means he isn’t offensive rebounding. Conversely, his 3-point shots do allow him the opportunity to get back on defense immediately and set up as the rim protector as everyone else hustles back. At the end of the day, Drummond will continue to be one of the stronger backup bigs in the league and the 3-point development won’t be a real issue as long as he takes no more than two-t-three very opportunistic attempts from deep per game, a la Dewayne Dedmon.
Nikola Vucevic
This is a HUGE year for Vooch. Over 73 games in 2021–22, Nikola Vucevic averged a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double with just over 3 assists. His 3-point shooting sunk to 31%, the fifth-lowest 3-point FG% of his career. Unlike his backup Drummond, Vucevic has always had the 3-point shot as part of his repertoire and the Bulls will need him to get back to a semi-respectable — at least near 34%–36% would be nice — accuracy from 3-point range.
Outside of improved accuracy from deep, the Bulls will need to utilize even more of Vucevic’s bruising low post offense in a league that seems to be falling in love with versatile, yet small lineups. Vooch was below average as a pick-and-roll man and post-up scorer in terms of points per possession (PPP). The Bulls must find a way to get Vucevic’s offense going in a contract year, both to see if he fits their core long-term and to gauge what a fair contract looks like for the veteran big in a relatively weak free agent class.
DeMar DeRozan
There isn’t really much to say about DeMar DeRozan. “Deebo” was awesome in his first year in Chicago. The Bulls won 46 games, returned to the playoffs and a massive part of that was DeRozan scoring a career-high 27.9 points per game (PPG). His ridiculous scoring came on ridiculous efficiency, as he scored all those points on 59% True Shooting. It is obviously extremely fair to expect a bit of regression to the mean for DeRozan. That being said, with Lonzo Ball out indefinitely and Zach LaVine dealing with nagging knee issues, it is quite easy to Deebo having another monster year as he employs his unique brand of wing bully ball and midrange wizardry.
Patrick Williams
This is also a big season for former №4 overall pick Patrick Williams. Last season, Williams had his season shortened due to a wrist injury suffered at the hands of a somewhat reckless Mitchell Robinson block attempt. Williams only played in 17 games and was again a very low-volume, high efficiency scorer.
His defensive potential has yet to been close to fully realized and while his red-hot shooting numbers are great, the Bulls simply need to see him shoot more to see if that kind of production is real and can be relied upon more regularly. Billy Donovan has shown that he isn’t afraid to play Williams with the bench unit, so this season will go a long way towards determining Williams’ future with the team.
Javonte Green
Javonte Green improved his stock perhaps more than any player on the Bulls, or even in the league, in the preseason. Javonte was on fire from deep, knocking down 66% of his 3-point shots and generally flying around on defense.
Green’s energy and aggression seemingly made him a natural fit for the starting unit, which Bulls head coach Billy Donovan did try out in the preseason. But, it was recently announced that Williams will start. That means Green will be back to his still much-needed, 3-and-D role off the bench.
While no one expects Woo to shoot 66% from deep, an improved jump shot and more 3-point attempts — he shot 35% on just over one attempt per game from 3-point range last season — would make him an extremely vital role player.
Malcolm Hill
Hill returns to the Bulls on a Two-Way contract. He is, of course, just a depth piece for the Bulls. But as an former Fightin’ Illini and friend of Ayo Dosunmu, it is simply nice to have Hill around. Plus never forget that his shooting and general “give-a-shit attitude” showed up big-time against the Phoenix Suns. In the game Hill scored the final eight points to make an otherwise lackluster loss somewhat exiting for the Chicago fans.
Derrick Jones Jr.
Derrick Jones Jr. was one of the more interesting low usage players on the Bulls. He was effective in small stints as a small-ball center, using his athleticism and length to bother shots around the rim despite being rail thin. Jones shot 32% from 3-point range last season, a career-best mark. Though 32% from 3-point range isn’t impressive, if Jones can improve on that even slightly, there is a path to more minutes for him in the Bulls guard-heavy rotation.
Kostas Antetokounmpo
Ah, yes, Kostas, the second-youngest of the five Antetokounmpo brothers. Of course, there have been many jokes — and unfortunately some serious statements — about Giannis wanting to one day sign with the Bulls. That pipe dream is only furthered along by the Bulls acquiring Kostas…but never say never, right?
In all seriousness, the 24-year old [Kostas] Antetokounmpo is still a very raw player. He has the height and wingspan to at the very least be an impact defender. The Bulls signed Kostas to a Two-Way contract and it would be quite amazing for him to develop into something in Chicago after winning an NBA Championship as a reserve with the Lakers. At the end of the day, Kostas Antetokounmpo was a great end-of-bench, developmental signing for a Chicago team that needs to think about replenishing it’s assets and overall young talent on a veteran-laden roster.
Tony Bradley
Bradley was both fairly and unfairly made fun of quite a bit last season but was overall serviceable as a backup center. A big turning point in the Bulls season was when they decided they needed to improve at the backup center position. They eventually landed on veteran Tristan Thompson, who didn’t provided as much rebounding and defensive presence as expected. The offensive ineffectiveness of Tony Bradley combined with the failure of the Tristan Thompson Experiment is what led to the Bulls offseason pursuit and acquisition of Andre Drummond. That being said, Bradley can still be counted on for 10 -15 minutes of solid low post defense if needed.
