INDIANAPOLIS – Call it more Bulls luck.
There was Chandler Hutchison last Jan. 25, finally starting to get into a grove after being selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, only to see his rookie season come to an end with a broken left toe after just 44 games.
The forward had played a season-high 41 minutes in that eventual loss to the Clippers, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
And just like that the Boise State product was shutdown.
This offseason would be his comeback. Hutchison spent the summer working on his craft, looking to take all the advice Otto Porter Jr. had been giving him.
And then his left hamstring betrayed him right before training camp started, and again, shutdown.
So yeah, the fact that he was made active on Sunday for the first time in almost nine months was meaningful.
“It was for sure a setback,’’ Hutchison said of getting over the latest injury. “I had plans to start training camp this year and that was unable to happen, so the disappointment’s there for me, for sure. I was ready to go, and then you have to deal with it. But that’s kind of how my last half-year has gone, so I’ve been prepared to deal with it and I’ve been doing that, worked hard to get back on the court.’’
And while he’s coming back, he’s also coming back to a very different situation.
Before he was injured, he was getting time as a starter, and heavy minutes off the bench. When he went down, the Bulls eventually acquired a proven veteran at that small forward spot in landing Porter.
Now there’s a bit of a line at that position that Hutchison has to deal with.
Tomas Satoransky can play the three, Denzel Valentine is still in play at that spot when he’s active, and rookie Coby White can slide to the three.
Hutchison just needs to be ready for whatever minutes come his way.
“Multi-ball-handler, big wing defender, improving shooter, slasher,’’ coach Jim Boylen said of Hutchison’s skillset. “He makes positive plays on the floor without having the ball in his hands. That’s what good players do and he’s a good player.’’
Boylen also likes how Hutchison fits perfectly into his multi-ball-handling system. At Boise State, Hutchison became very good at getting the rebound and pushing the ball up the floor. That’s exactly what the Bulls want from him.
“I feel like my role from last year hasn’t changed,’’ Hutchison said of his expectations. “I know the opportunities are going to be there for me and to just continue to be someone reliable on the court that plays hard and is going to make the right decisions.
“This group, when we’re our best, is unselfish, ball is moving, guys are rebounding, pushing, athletic group that plays the right way. So that’s something I can do right away and get in and start doing.’’
Hands on
There aren’t many defensive categories that the Bulls have excelled in this season, but they did enter Sunday eighth in steals and third in deflections. Boylen was hoping those would be building blocks to eventually an improved defense.
“What I do is try and coach our guys to be in the right position,’’ Boylen said. “I don’t coach them to steal the ball.
“With that said, Kris Dunn has a special skill. He’s got great hands and great feet. He’s got that defensive back mentality. He was a football player, so he’s got that ball-hawk in him, and that’s a special thing.’’
