The Chicago Bulls have just one more preseason game before the regular season, a road date against the division-rival Milwaukee Bucks. Sitting with a 2-1 record, the Bulls have provided plenty of talking points despite bringing back largely the same group from last season.
That group was often outmatched defensively down the stretch but they were expecting to get a boost from returns to health from guard Alex Caruso and, especially Patrick Williams.
Williams, a former fourth-overall pick, was expected to take a big leap in his third season. What has transpired has been nothing short of controversy in the eyes of the public as Williams came off of the bench in each of the past two preseason contests, both wins in favor of Javonte Green and then Derrick Jones Jr.
And it has been Green – the 29-year-old, 6-foot-5 power forward – who has shined.
Javonte Green Shining in New System
This preseason, we heard that the Bulls were planning on utilizing a new offense. Williams would divulge that it was focused on being positionless and Zach LaVine later added that the goal was to create more randomness.
Green revealed a little more of the puzzle that we could see a heavy dose of in the preseason finale.
“Last year, teams packed the paint on us and made other people shoot the ball,” Green said. “They focused on DeMar [DeRozan] and Zach and tried to take away the lane, pack the paint so they can’t get to the rim. This summer, we changed how we play trying to get more space so those guys can work and perform at a high level.” (h/t K.C. Johnson/NBC Sports Chicago)
When healthy, DeRozan and LaVine both resided in the top 10 in scoring last season. That only lasted 40 games, though as LaVine aggravated a knee injury that sapped his effectiveness.
Vucevic had a down season and was still among some of the elite statistically.
But the Bulls struggled to find consistent options around them be it due to injury or ineffectiveness. Green drew 45 starts in place of Williams last season but he too was not quite a threat averaging 7.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in those games.
Green did score on 62.1% true shooting as a starter but could only hit 33.8% of his triples.
Head coach Billy Donovan said that, if anything, it was more of a “tweak” than an outright change. When you have a player like the 6-foot-10, 279-pound Andre Drummond (who looks to have dropped some of that weight) planning on shooting threes this season, however, that is a change.
Drummond is not the only one who has worked to mold his game, intent on meshing well into this new approach.
“I was committed this summer to help space the floor to make it easier for Zach and DeMar [Nikola Vučević],” Green told media after a recent practice. “Those guys draw a lot of attention. I’m focused on knocking down open shots to take the pressure off those guys.”
Green is the Bulls’ second-leading scorer this preseason averaging 16.7 points per game while shooting 77.3% from the floor and 75% from beyond the arc.
The journeyman has remained adamant, however, that the end result is all that matters to him.
“There’s no competition.”
Green Focused on Big Picture
“We’re just here to make the team better. Whoever starts, I feel like we trust the coaching staff to put whoever in the right position. It’s a team game. Whatever Coach decides, we’re with it.”
Donovan has said he is using the preseason to experiment with different looks.
Jones failed to do much with his starting shot, finishing with just six points, two rebounds, and one block. Williams played the most minutes of the three on the night but struggled to his six points on just 1-of-8 shooting. Green did not touch the floor until the third quarter. But, once he did, the Bulls went on to rally to a 17-point margin of victory.
The undersized 4 refuses to call himself overlooked or be concerned with how much playing time he gets. Interestingly, it is that approach that has gotten him to this point with a shot to hold onto the starting power forward job over a former top-five pick.
“Either way, if I’m being better for my teammates, it’s a blessing for both sides.”
Green has one year remaining on his contract but says that is not weighing on him – just making an impact on this team.
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Bulls’ Javonte Green Gets Honest on Preseason Battle