(670 The Score) At its most basic level in what was otherwise a layered decision, Bulls coach Billy Donovan shook up his starting lineup Sunday for a simple reason.
“My intention with the group has always been to try help them, put them in the best position to win,” Donovan said.
And so before the Bulls hosted the Raptors at the United Center, Donovan inserted guard Tomas Satoransky and forward Thad Young into the starting lineup in place of second-year guard Coby White and third-year big man Wendell Carter Jr. He did so as the Bulls were coming off back-to-back ugly losses out of the All-Star break, a pair of games that were marked by slow starts for Chicago once again.
Donovan was unsure of how his adjustment would go, even noting afterward, “We could’ve lost by 30 and it would’ve been like really, really bad, right?” The opposite nearly happened. The Bulls rolled to a 118-95 win against the shorthanded Raptors, who were missing three of their best players in Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, who were all in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
While the Bulls’ new starting five of was a -7 in the plus-minus box in 10:33 of action, the shakeup worked in every other intended way. Rookie forward Patrick Williams slashed, cut and slammed his way to a career-high 23 points, the Bulls (17-20) were well-balanced in putting nine players in double figures and Carter was sparked to the tune of a 12-point, 11-rebound, difference-making performance after his recent dismal five-game stretch.
“He came to us after film or right before film (Saturday), and he just told us how he felt,” Carter said of what Donovan told him and White. “We had the worst plus-minus in the league for the starting unit, and he understood he had to shake the table, he had to change some things around and me and Coby had to sacrifice. He understood that it wasn't 100 percent on us. He understood that Thad being a vet, he's a great player, he knows how to get everybody involved and Sato is a great point guard. The way he started them, it showed. They had great control over the game from the start and they closed the game out really well. Like I said before, coach understands how to win.”
The Bulls’ previous starting lineup of White, Zach LaVine, Williams, Lauri Markkanen and Carter had been abysmal together this season, being outscored by 31 points in 95 minutes together entering play Sunday. That represented a -17.6 net rating and – combined with the eye test – moved Donovan to make the change.
Donovan stressed he wasn’t scapegoating White and Carter, going as far as to say, “It has nothing to do with them,” though each has been inconsistent this season. He wasn’t removing them from the starting lineup to send a message directed at them. He felt he needed to make a move to put a Bulls team that’s finally at full health in the best position to win.
He also didn’t view the new roles of White and Carter as a hurdle to their development.
“I look at maybe development a little bit different,” Donovan said. “I think there’s some people who look at development as just throw a guy out there and let him play through all his mistakes and let him get better. These guys need to learn how to win. The No. 1 component that goes into winning is sacrifice. This was a situation where Coby and Wendell were put in situations to sacrifice. But in talking to both those guys, they want to win. And they’ll do whatever they can to help the group win. And I really admire and respect and appreciate their approach on that. This is good for their development, to be quite honest with you, because obviously we’re trying to win. And they’re going through real life experiences that will help them grow and get better as players. I would worry about their development if I told you, ‘Hey, Coby and Wendell didn’t play and we took them out of the rotation.’ They’re still playing. They’re still going to be out there. There’s still opportunities to grow.”
Donovan plans to keep Satoransky and Young in the starting lineup for the time being, but he cautioned it may not be a permanent move. Like seemingly everything in a pandemic-altered, hectic NBA season, the Bulls’ new starting lineup is fluid.
“This is not set in stone for the rest of the year,” Donovan said. “We’ll see how works and what this looks like.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.