The Chicago Bulls made a lot of solid moves this summer in an attempt to improve the roster around their stars. They re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, and in free agency, they brought in veterans Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. In turn, the overall ceiling of the team improved.
However, with all the additions they made come crucial questions – who starts, and who comes off the bench? There has already been a slight indication that Carter could start over White at the point guard spot, but what about the power forward position? Is there a chance that Craig earns the start over Patrick Williams?
Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation recently pondered this question.
“As for the power forward slot, the Bulls are in desperate need of more physicality and rebounding,” Schuster wrote. “Craig snagged a career-high 5.4 rebounds per game last season, including 2.7 OREBs per 36 minutes. Williams has continued to struggle when it comes to consistently cleaning the glass, which is something I’m sure the coaching staff will keep in mind. Where Williams should have the edge on Craig, however, is in the physicality department. While Craig is a switchable and talented defender, there is little question that Williams’ frame and sheer athleticism can be a real asset. I’d also say that there is comfortably more offensive upside with Williams. But this could actually end up as a reason to put him in the second unit, as he’ll be able to tap into this side of his game more without Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic on the floor.”
Ultimately, though, he landed on Williams.
“When we consider how important Williams remains to the Bulls’ long-term future, I’d probably prefer to see him eating up starting minutes,” Schuster wrote. “But I also can’t deny that Craig is a great fit next to the team’s “Big 3” on paper. We’ll just have to wait and see where Donovan’s head is at. If one thing is for sure, this is a decent problem to have.”
Who should earn the start?
