The highly-anticipated point-guard training camp battle took a detour on Tuesday.
Specifically, a left one on Day 1 of Bulls training camp.
Thanks, Wendell Carter Jr.
The second-year center injured his left ankle during the three-hour practice, which meant come scrimmage time Kris Dunn and Tomas Satoransky ran together with the first team, rather than going head-to-head and allowing one of them to start making a statement on whose job it will be once the regular-season tips off on Oct. 23.
Call it coach Jim Boylen making a pivot.
With Carter sidelined with the injury – minor and considered day-to-day – Boylen instead started Lauri Markkanen at the center spot, Otto Porter at the four, Satoransky at the three, and a backcourt of Zach LaVine and Dunn.
Actually a look the Bulls could close out games with, especially if they want to go small.
“What we do, with my staff, we’ve talked about different lineups, we’ve talked about the versatility of this roster, how we’re going to play,’’ Boylen said. “You’ve heard me mention we want to be redundant, where if someone gets hurt, we can still play the same way. We had that opportunity [Tuesday] in midstream. We flip a guy from black to red, or white to the red team and we keep playing our same way. I do have probably lineups on my board and we’ve talked about it and today it just kind of happened in real time – which was good. We get to see that, now we’ll watch that film and we’ll coach to that.’’
For the time being.
While all the multi-ball-handlers on the Bulls roster makes the team somewhat position-less, the math is the math.
A healthy Carter will start at center, while Markkanen, Porter and LaVine will also get the starting nod. So even with Boylen down-playing the importance of the point guard in today’s NBA, there’s only one more starting spot up for grabs. That means while Tuesday was a brief reprieve from the head-to-head showdown, it can only be delayed for so long.
“I love competition, so this is great for me,’’ Satoransky said of his first day of practice. “A lot of guys are pretty talented on this team, especially at the point guard position. And for me it’s just great that I can get better with these guys and also help them out a little bit.
“So this is fun for me.’’
We’ll see how long it’s fun for Dunn.
For right now, the former Timberwolves first-round pick has been saying all the right things, putting the bad feelings he had earlier in the offseason behind him.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
“Kris Dunn is for the team,’’ Boylen said. “When I met with him this summer, like I met with every guy, whether it was in town or out of town or whatever. He gave me the ‘Wendell Carter.’ The ‘Wendell Carter’ is, ‘Coach, whatever you need me to do I’m doing for you.’ That’s what he said.
“Whether that’s maturity, whether he got away and is in a good place, whatever. We all go through that. We all go through those moments where we’re frustrated or ‘Things aren’t going my way, I’m not happy about it.’ Then we have introspection and we look at it. I’ve always said he’s a good kid, he has a good heart and he cares about the team.’’
Dunn agreed.
“Who doesn’t want to start? But it’s Coach’s choice,’’ Dunn said. “And I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team win. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m here for it.’’
For now.
