Billy Donovan has seen some glimpses, focused in on a few thoughts, but for the Bulls coach to say he has a concrete idea of how he wants to use his backcourt rotations over the rest of the season, it wouldn’t be genuine.
So why is Donovan still unsettled with now five games of his new-look roster under his belt?
Because his roster availability remained unsettled, specifically with that backcourt.
The team found out Sunday morning that Coby White was missing yet another game, this time going in the league’s health and safety protocol after there was some uncertainty with a coronavirus test.
“We’ll probably find out more in the next 24 to 48 hours,’’ Donovan said of White’s availability.
Meaning more tests to come for the second-year reserve, as White has now missed three of the last four games.
With Garrett Temple still out with a hamstring, that’s why Donovan was still tinkering with how he wants to use the likes of Troy Brown Jr., Javonte Green, Denzel Valentine and Ryan Arcidiacono.
“It’s been hard because of, like for example Coby’s out [Sunday] because of Covid protocols,’’ Donovan said of his backcourt make-up. “Garrett’s out. We had Zach [LaVine], Garrett and Coby out [on the road trip], that’s the part that’s been … now all of a sudden you’re looking at different rotations with a rotational player being down in Coby, and another rotational player being down in Garrett, now you’re having to look at some different things, so I don’t think we’ve necessarily played since the trade really completely whole for any length of time. So it’s hard to get to because when we add players or players go out, it’s kind of changing that rotation piece.’’
That hasn’t been the case for the frontcourt.
Nikola Vucevic and Daniel Theis have fit right in with the likes of Thad Young and Lauri Markkanen. It helps that all of them have been available, but it also makes it nice that the skillsets are very interchangeable.
“I think Lauri can play with any combination, so can I think ‘Vuch,’ ‘’ Donovan said. “But you want to utilize guys together, like Thad is a unique player, he’s played with ‘Vuch’ before. ‘Vuch’ can step away from the basket, Thad can play closer, same thing with Lauri and Daniel. Daniel’s probably more comfortable around the basket, although he’s improved his shooting. Lauri’s been more of a perimeter player, so you try and work things where they can have good floor spacing and balance, but the [backcourt] combination part, that rotation part has been hard because we haven’t been whole.’’
No rookie blues
Patrick Williams had some tough games on the four-game road trip, and not just because the Bulls lost all four as much as the matchups the rookie saw at certain times.
Having to check the likes of Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell would humble most 19 year olds, but Williams has proven all season long that he’s not most 19 year olds. With the Bulls heading into a key part of the schedule against very beatable teams, Williams wants to continue getting the top players, whether they are guards or forwards.
“The guy that I want to be, I want to guard guys like that every night,’’ Williams said. “Whether it’s a big or a guard, I just want to guard the best player every night. That’s the kind of guy I want to be in this league, night in night out.’’
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