Round Table with Bulls Experts From Around the Web

Nearly a month into the season, and the Bulls have had many storylines develop en route to a 4–10 start. We’ve seen both the expected and unexpected. To paint a full picture of what’s really going on, I gathered some of the best Bulls minds on the internet for a round table. They all deserve your attention in their own work, so please follow them on Twitter if you’re not already.

RP — Ryan Piers, Hoops Habit

LM — Luis Medina, Bleacher Nation Bears

EM — Erick Montoya, Pippen Ain’t Easy

MK — Mark Karantzoulis, Blog a Bull

VV — Vijay Vemu, Blog a Bull

FP — “See Red” Fred Pfeiffer, Chicago Bullseye

DM — Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic Chicago

1. Zach LaVine looks like the player the Bulls hoped they were acquiring. Is this sustainable? Could he be an All-Star this year?

RP: You know I’m a big LaVine fan. He is a very contemporary combo guard — good shooter that can get points in many ways. He’s quick, pushes tempo … just everything you want in terms of his offense. Also, he’s still only 23! It’s sustainable if he stays healthy and yes, I think he will be an All-Star this year. Here’s hoping Kris Dunn continues to progress and can make up for LaVine’s lackluster defensive skills in the backcourt.

LM: LaVine has improved his field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and effective field goal percentage, which I think are all sustainable so long as he stays healthy and continues to play at a 32-to-35-minute workload. Even on a disappointing Bulls team, he’s a human highlight reel waiting to happen and that’s going to get him some notice. Because of that, he’s a legit candidate to make the All-Star team — even if he’s playing on a sub-.500 team.

MK: Opportunity isn’t something that will hold LaVine back. With all the injuries hitting this team, he’ll have the ball in his hands. His usage will remain high, so expect his raw, basic numbers to remain high, too. The question is how efficient he can be. Something tells me his field goal percentage around the rim will fall at some point. But so long as he continues to get to the line and not fall in love with the jumper, he should have a career-year in terms of efficiency, which is hugely important for someone dominating the ball as much as he is.

EM: To echo what Mark said about Zach’s usage this season, did you know that since joining the Bulls last season, LaVine’s usage rate has gone up from 22.5 to 31.3? LaVine has been balling out scoring 20-plus points in all of the Bulls’ games, including a career-high 41-point performance at Madison Square Garden last Monday. I fully expect LaVine to continue being the alpha dog for this Bulls team until Lauri Markkanen, Dunn and Bobby Portis return from their respective injuries. If LaVine can keep this pace up, and I’m sure that he can, you can guarantee that his name will be in contention for this year’s All-Star team.

VV: LaVine has been on fire to start the season and has easily been the Bulls’ best player. It’s clear that the Bulls run a good percentage, if not all, of their offense through him. When he’s not on the court, you can see how hard it is for the Bulls to score. Not only has he been great, but he’s also been decent efficiency wise. With a 49.8% eFG and a true shooting percentage of 56.7, this is easily his best offensive season yet. LaVine is getting to the rim more, and his scoring there has been good, too. Not only that, but he’s been drawing a lot of contact and getting to the free-throw line. Like Mark said, I expect his numbers to drop just a bit. But given how many injuries the Bulls have right now, LaVine still is going to be the man offensively for a while. Given how good he’s been to start the year, he surely has a chance to become an All-Star this season.

FP: LaVine certainly has surpassed my expectations this season. He’s averaging career highs in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks, but I’ve been most impressed with his 7.8 free throw attempts a game. He’s been far more aggressive this year in attacking the rim, and that should continue when Lauri and Valentine return to help spread the floor. Even if Zach’s 27.1 points a game fall to 20 by January, he should easily make the All-Star team, and it will be a well-deserved honor.

I do feel that Markkanen has a higher ceiling than LaVine. I believe that Lauri has “top-10 player in the league” potential, while Zach will most likely top out in the 15–25 range. I have some minor concerns that Lavine will continue to take the preponderance of shots once Lauri returns from injury. For the Bulls to maximize their potential and achieve Red Leviathan status, I’d like to the see the team focus on Markkanen and utilize LaVine’s skills as the secondary option, although these roles can occasionally change to take advantage of a favorable matchups.

DM: I do think it’s sustainable because Zach is taking smarter shots and not settling for tough shots. The tough shots he has taken, he’s made with surprising regularity. Even when those makes dry up, Zach has learned how to mix in hard drives to the basket, where he’s finishing with great consistency or earning trips to the free throw line. If he maintains his offensive discipline when Markkanen, Dunn, Denzel Valentine and Portis return, the game should become easier.

But I don’t think he’s going to make the All-Star cut this year. The Bulls don’t appear likely to have the record that warrants his inclusion. On individual merit, he likely will belong there.

2. Jabari Parker has taken a lot of heat early on. What does he need to do to prove he’s worth $20 million this season?

MK: Maybe I’m just cynical but I don’t think there is a realistic way for Parker to justify his contract. It’s clear Hoiberg doesn’t view him as a solution at small forward. That being so, when Markkanen and Portis return from injury and reclaim their roles at power forward, where does that leave Parker? Perhaps at that point the coach is forced into revisiting the idea of Parker at the three, but I don’t expect that to work. In the end, we’ll view Parker as an expensive experiment that never worked.

RP: I’m with Mark on this one. Parker is an expensive experiment that probably won’t work. He seems like a player from 2008, not 2018. Parker takes way too many mid-range jump shots, plays too much iso-ball and clearly isn’t athletic as he was prior to his injuries. He’s not a bad player. But he’s not a centerpiece. Parker is a shot in the dark that won’t work.

LM: Unless Parker has access to a time machine, there is nothing he can do justify that contract. Jabari should be what Derrick Rose is right now for the Minnesota Timberwolves, playing the role of sixth-man scorer off the bench. Instead, he’s sloppy, flat-out disappointing and doesn’t look like he’s into it. It’s a real shame.

EM: When the Bulls first signed Parker, my 2008 self was excited, and 10 years later, it’s still cool to see a hometown kid don the red and black. That being said, Jabari has been subpar this season. The only way that Jabari can prove his worth the rest of the season is by embracing the sixth man role, continue to give effort night in and night out, coach the young guys and be that scoring option that the second unit looks to. Other than that, you’ve got to roll with the punches you were dealt when you first signed him.

VV: He needs to continue to do a lot more to make up for the contract which he signed this summer, particularly on the defensive end. Parker’s been ok on the second unit as you can always use more scoring when your reserves are in. We’ve seen random possessions where he just dribbles into a long two-pointer. He’s been really bad defensively, too. Parker has a box plus-minus of minus 4.1. It’s really tough to watch. That’s not good at all. Unless we see a drastic rise in production over the next couple of months, I don’t think the contract can be justified when we look at it next summer.

FP: I’ve finally had some nice weather here on Jabari Island recently with 20 points and 13 rebounds vs. the New Orleans Pelicans and a memorable finish with some clutch points and a game-saving block vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Earlier this year, I had Darnell on my podcast, and he alluded to the fact that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were poor defenders early in their careers, and they were far too dependent on Serge Ibaka to clean up the mess they left on the perimeter. I think young players, especially scorers, have a tendency to do be guilty of defensive indifference early in their careers (i.e. Durant, James Harden, Stephen Curry), and then evolve into more consistent defenders. I’m not putting Jabari in their class, but it’s easy to forget he is only 23 years old, and he’s spent large swaths of his career rehabbing his knee. He’s still learning. Parker can navigate his way down the path to “average defender” status.

No one should ever lose sleep over a one-year contract no matter what the total dollar amount is. There has been far too much focus on Jabari’s salary this season. Jabari was a restricted free agent, and the Bucks likely would have matched a lower offer, so the Bulls had to overpay for one year in order to acquire a player so young and talented. Bulls Twitter basically has become a 24/7 news channel for pointing out every Parker mistake. I’ll continue to counter that it was sagacious to take a one-year flyer on a player with Jabari’s size and offensive skills.

Big picture for the Bulls: I think Portis and Parker both are highly skilled offensively with considerable defensive liabilities. I prefer Parker’s shooting, passing, and athleticism, and his ability to play the three against certain matchups. Portis has the superior leadership skills, intangibles, rebounding instincts and the ability to slide over to the five. Neither player likely is going to start for the Bulls. Therefore, I expect both of them to be gone next year. Wendell Carter Jr. and Markkanen clearly are going to be fixtures in Chicago for the next decade at the four and five, and you can’t afford to pay a backups between $13 and $16 million a year when these same resources could be allocated to finding a competent wing.

DM: I don’t think it’s possible for Parker to justify the deal. But he can take steps to make it more palatable. To start, he can accept his role coming off the bench and just make up his mind to be the best reserve he can. In the games in which he embraced that role, he played relatively well. It’s when he doesn’t appear to care or care to try when he’s looked horrible. So start with a change of attitude and then increase the effort.

I’ve also liked what I’ve seen from Jabari as a secondary playmaker. The days of waiting for him to transform into a Carmelo Anthony-level scorer are done. If he has lost the step he appears to have, it’s time for Parker to focus on his next act as a Boris Diaw-type. He could bring a team great value off the bench — just not at $20 million.

3. Though it’s a small sample size, the Bulls appear to have hit on another seventh overall pick in Carter. What role would best serve both him and the team? Is he already a lock for the All-Rookie Team?

RP: Carter is living up to expectations, already nearly averaging a double-double. He’s reliable from the foul line and is showing early progress. With a few adjustments, he actually could improve quickly. He’ll learn to take better shots, helping his somewhat poor 48.8 eFG%. The downside is the Bulls face a logjam with him, Markkanen, Portis and possibly Parker at power forward. If Carter can improve as a low post defender, he may be best suited as a center.

LM: I like the role he is in now, but I’ll like it more when he is paired with Markkanen in the front court. There is a lot to like about his game from scoring ability and willingness to play defense. I’m with Ryan in that if Carter figures out better shots, the numbers have nowhere to go but up. In a positionless NBA, Carter should be able to play anywhere in the frontcourt.

EM: I agree with what Luis said regarding Wendell’s role on this team. Right now, he’s getting meaningful minutes with the first unit that you hope that once Lauri comes back, he’ll be adjusted and more comfortable playing the center position. His ability to knock down 3s and pass from anywhere on the floor is a sight to see. It will be a treat to watch once everybody on the Bulls is healthy.

MK: While we’ve recently seen Carter expand his offensive output, as currently constructed, this team needs him to be the defensive anchor. Once Markkanen and Dunn are back, there will be fewer shots for Carter. He should still remain a fixture within the offense, particularly to utilise his natural gifts as a passer, but his defense, at rim or away from the basket, are a combination of skills no other player on the roster possesses.

VV: It’s tough to define just what type of player Carter is going to be on this Bulls team. He’s going have to continue to work on some of the skills he has flashed in his first months in the NBA. Carter’s defensive ability will be key to his role moving forward. He’s shown great awareness on the defensive end; his ability to rotate over on help defense has been spectacular. Given how the Bulls are currently structured and his future fit next to Markkanen, WCJ is going to have to be a solid defensive player for them. Offensively, he should be used more in a playmaker role. He’s one of the best passers on the team and is a super smart player, knowing exactly where to be and has good movement off the ball. He won’t take many shots with the Bulls at full health, but he knows that and takes his chances when given to him. This is also why WCJ being a good three-point shooter off the catch will be huge for the Bulls moving forward. As for the All-Rookie team, he has a very solid chance of being on there at the end of the season.

FP: Carter will be 19 until April 16. He’s considerably younger than a project like Mo Bamba. As a Bulls prophet, I forsee WCJ becoming the best defensive player in the league within the next four years. He has every defensive trait required to achieve greatness: athleticism, intelligence, desire, and length. His skills complement Markkanen perfectly. Together, they will work with seamless cohesion and form the best frontcourt combination in the NBA for the next decade. Wendell already is a lock for the All-Rookie First Team, and I think he can garner some All-Defensive Team votes this season, with a secure spot on that All-Defensive Team next year.

DM: He’s already exceeded my expectations, and that started with Carter being inserted into the first string from opening night. He’s faced some of the best centers in the league and hasn’t looked intimidated in the least. So the role he’s in appears to suit him fine. If anything, I’d like to see him used more in the pick-and-pop game. He’s showing shooting mechanics that are too good to not be adequately used. I also think the Bulls have only scratched the surface of Carter’s passing ability. He could be a terror as a facilitator from the high post and low block.

As for whether Carter’s a lock for All-Rookie First Team, he’s close. It’s still really early, but he’s essentially in a six-man race for two spots assuming Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Deandre Ayton occupy three of the First Team selections. That leaves Carter, Collin Sexton, Marvin Bagley, Allonzo Trier, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Knox as the most likely selections for the final two spots. Carter has a leg up among that remaining group. But, again, it’s early.

4. What will be expected of the four injured Bulls (Markkanen, Valentine, Dunn, Portis) when they return?

RP: Growth. That’s it. Be better this year than you were last season. I expect Lauri to be the team’s second best player after LaVine, Dunn to improve as a floor general and Portis to just keep doing his crazy Bobby thing. I’ve never been high on Valentine.

LM: Progress and development from the forwards. I’m OK with it if Lauri picks up where he left off last season. It might not look like progress, but returning to prior levels of success after an injury should be his floor at the outset. A rotation with Portis, Markkanen, and Carter should be competitive. From Dunn, I’d like to see some competent point guard play and flash some ability to play well with LaVine. Those two haven’t often been on the same page, and I’d need to be convinced that they can play well with each other. I have no expectations for Valentine.

EM: More wins, plain and simple. So enjoy the tanking process now because once everyone comes back healthy, this teams’ offense and defense will improve, especially on the defensive side. I’m intrigued by how everyone will play together specifically Dunn with Carter. That pick-and-roll scheme will be marvelous to watch. The Bulls are lacking Valentine’s scoring from three right now, but once he comes back, you can expect Chandler Hutchison to have a timeshare with him. Portis and Parker will be a strong 1–2 punch for the second unit. LaVine may take a step back, but will continue to put up scoring bunches when Lauri returns.

MK: Cohesion. This is still a rebuild year, and everything should be geared toward finding out how well a returning and healthy Markkanen and Dunn fit alongside LaVine and Carter. No matter how many wins the team ends on this season, arguably the more important outcome for this season and how well the franchise is placed with their younger players.

VV: How they fit. Last year, we only saw a bit of what Markkanen, LaVine, and Dunn can do as a trio. We haven’t seen it this year, and now, you add Carter to the mix. So it will be interesting how they fit as a lineup. The duo of Carter and Markkanen will be really fun to watch. Both are solid offensively, and how they play off each other is something to keep an eye on. As for Valentine and Portis, the bench depth gets a boost and likely will the play moving forward. Portis will be playing for a big contract, and Valentine is going to have to show some improvements this year.

FP: I expect the return of Markkanen-Dunn-Valentine-Portis to exponentially improve the Bulls to a “playoff quality” team in the East. What NBA team could have survived the loss of their:

a. best player (Markkanen)

b. best perimeter defender (Dunn)

c. best 3-point shooter (Valentine)

d. Sixth Man of the Year candidate (Portis)

No team, Golden State included, could have endured such devastating injuries to rotation players, yet the Bulls still managed to be competitive against potential playoff teams like the Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. The return of these players will significantly improve our winning percentage. A seventh seed is entirely possible, provided the Bulls can approach seven or eight wins by the end of November.

DM: Don’t go screwing up a good thing. The tank is moving along nicely. OK, seriously, they need to try to adjust as quickly as possible and get this thing rolling in the right direction. You can see the talent is there individually. What remains to be seen is whether this group fits together.

That’s the tricky part for the four injured players. All four have individual goals and things they each are out to prove. But the Bulls really need them all to buy in and play a team game. Whether they can do it and how they’ll do it are probably my two biggest questions about that group. I know they can play. That’s not in question at this point.

5. Does Fred Hoiberg deserve criticism for this start? Will he survive his contract or even this season?

RP: Eh, I don’t know. I thought he was a bad hire to begin with, and the front office didn’t start putting together a roster that fit his style until last season. Look, some players are developing under him. He helped flip Dunn’s career around last season, and LaVine looks comfortable in his free-flowing offense. Hoiberg is a below average in-game coach. He’s not a motivator or master tactician. He doesn’t command a locker room. Hoiberg isn’t great, so yeah, some of the blame to the season’s bad start falls on his shoulders. Between his time at Iowa State and in the NBA, it does appear Hoiberg can develop talent. That’s probably about it.

EM: Heading into his fourth year, I see Hoiberg similar to what the White Sox have in Rick Renteria: a player development coach. This year is crucial for Fred given it’s his second year with this roster of players. It’s sad to think that his first two years were wasted, given that he had to deal with the departure of Rose midseason, followed up by Jimmy Butler, an aging Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo (RIP Three Alphas). Now, fast forward to the present day, and Fred has to produce results while also distributing minutes to everyone. It’s been a tough tenure for Hoiberg to say the least. However, I do expect Fred to finish out this season. I can’t say the same for next.

LM: I’m at a point where I feel bad for Hoiberg. He’s been given chicken (expletive deleted) and been asked to make chicken salad pretty much since he’s been here. But at least LaVine looks good, and there are high hopes for Markkanen and Carter, so maybe there’s something to be said about his ability to coach up young players. That’s going to be valuable as the Bulls figure to continue adding young players with upside moving forward.

MK: Hoiberg doesn’t deserve criticism for the Bulls starting a new season poorly. This team had a thin margin for error. Removing four rotational players, two of whom are starters, will hurt any team. For a young and inexperienced team, it can be problematic. Outside of the embarrassing performance against the Warriors, the Bulls largely have competed despite the talent deficiency. They were good in losses against the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.

There are very real reasons to be critical of Hoiberg, but the team’s record to open the season isn’t one of them.

VV: I honestly still don’t know what to think about Fred Hoiberg. It’s a weird thing to think about given how long he’s been in Chicago. One one hand, Hoiberg hasn’t been given the players he wants in his system and the results have shown. A lot of the time Hoiberg had to re-adjust his system to some of the rosters the Bulls have constructed. On the other hand, he hasn’t shown the abilities of being a really good coach. As far as how their season started, all of it can’t be placed on Hoiberg. The roster isn’t that great, and they have a ton of injuries to deal with. Hoiberg is dealing with starting a lot of reserve guys, and having to play them more minutes than they should. The real test for Hoiberg this season would be how he coaches with everyone healthy. One criticism could be Hoiberg’s late-game rotations, particularly when he subs in Parker for WCJ on some key defensive possessions. As far as his contract goes, if the Bulls have a terrible year, I can see the Bulls making a change. But it’s more likely that he finishes out his contract than gets fired this season.

FP: There are coaches who adapt their system to the talent and coaches who ask the talent to adapt to the system I believe Fred tends toward the latter. I don’t buy into the common narrative that he has been handcuffed with poor rosters. His first season was sabotaged with major injuries to key players from January to March. In the subsequent season, the Three Alphas team should have been better, with Butler-Nikola Mirotic-Wade-Rondo-Taj Gibson and a top-10 defense. If wins don’t start happening with more regularity after the return of Markkanen, then his future will be in jeopardy, and rightly so. In his fourth season, the Bulls still haven’t had a team in the top half of the league in offensive efficiency. That was supposed to be his calling card!

I like Fred, and he clearly knows the game. But I have serious reservations about his ability to evaluate talent and dole out playing time to the right guys. He’s given far too many minutes to limited players (i.e. Isaiah Canaan, Paul Zipser, Justin Holiday).

DM: I actually think Fred’s done a good job so far. He’s made some tough decisions, starting with inserting Carter into the first string over the more experienced Robin Lopez, as well as moving Jabari to the bench, followed by Cameron Payne. He’s tailored his offense to accommodate LaVine’s incredible scoring ability, made some good substitutions down the stretch of games and continues to be effective out of timeouts.

The fact that the Bulls have even remained competitive with some of the lineups they’ve trotted out to start this season, I think, is in part a credit to Hoiberg and his staff. The defense is abysmal. We know that. We also knew it would be coming in. Can’t blame Fred for not being able to turn water into wine.