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Few teams have more wildly varied sets of expectations entering this season than the Bulls, seen by some as an Eastern Conference playoff team and by others as only marginally better than the team that went 22-60 last year.
The wild card in all that could be a darkhorse candidate for Rookie of the Year: first-round pick Coby White, whose outstanding preseason has earned him comparisons to former Bull Ben Gordon, who was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year as a rookie, but lost out on the Rookie of the Year trophy to Emeka Okafor.
White showed the ability to be a sizzling scorer off the bench in the preseason, when he led the team in minutes and averaged 19.2 points per game. He scored 29 points in 23 minutes in the Bulls’ final preseason showing, making 6-for-8 from the 3-point line.
Bulls coach Jim Boylen has been clear about keeping White on the bench, though, opting for free-agent signee Tomas Satoransky at the point ahead of incumbent starter Kris Dunn, who could struggle to get minutes if White supersedes him in a combo-guard role.
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Bulls Projected Starting Lineup vs. Hornets
C-Wendell Carter Jr.
PF- Lauri Markkanen
SF- Otto Porter Jr.
SG- Zach LaVine
PG- Tomas Satoransky
Carter Jr. is another wildcard for the Bulls. Like White, he was a No. 7 selection in the NBA draft, picked out of Duke in 2018. Carter was excellent last year when he was thrust into the starting five as a rookie, averaging 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds, with 1.3 blocks, in 25.3 minutes.
But Carter has struggled to stay healthy. He had thumb surgery last year, which cut his season short after 44 games, and has dealt with injuries to his tailbone and ankle this month, as well as tweaking of the old thumb injury. He only appeared in two preseason games for Chicago but is listed as probable for Charlotte.
Boylen has been stressing the importance of health ahead of the opener and Carter’s aches and pains are worrisome. “I’m concerned,’’ Boylen told reporters, according to the Sun-Times. ‘‘I know our defense is better when he’s on the floor. I know our physicality is better when he’s on the floor. So, of course, I am concerned.”
Bulls Roster for the 2019-20 NBA Season
Here is a look at the current Bulls roster and depth chart.
C-Wendell Carter Jr., Cristiano Felicio, Daniel Gafford
PF- Lauri Markkanen, Thaddeus Young, Luke Kornet
SF- Otto Porter Jr., Chandler Hutchinson, Denzel Valentine
SG- Zach LaVine, Coby White, Shaq Harrison
PG- Tomas Satoransky, Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacono
Youth Will Reign in Chicago
White is only 19, the first member of the Bulls to be born in this millennium, but he is not the only youngster on board. Carter is 20 years old and Markkanen is 22. That’s three of the team’s Top 6 players who could still be in college.
But this has been the team’s plan since it finally decided to trade away star wing Jimmy Butler back in 2017. Just two years later, the only players left on the roster from the time of that deal are Valentine and Felicio. It’s been a near-full overhaul since, and the Bulls will begin to showcase their young guys tonight.
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