Despite Reserve Role, Taj Gibson More Important Than Ever

Carlos Boozer was finally gone, and as the Chicago Bulls courted Carmelo Anthony in free agency Taj Gibson prepared himself for his ascension into the starting lineup. Unfortunately for Gibson things don’t always go as planned. When Anthony spurned Chicago to return to the rebuilding New York Knicks the Bulls quickly turned to their next target, Pau Gasol. In addition to signing Gasol, Chicago finally came to terms with European prospect Nikola Mirotic, yet another power forward with whom Gibson would compete with for minutes. At the time it felt like Gibson was being inexplicably marginalized, and perhaps even in danger of being traded. As it turns out though, he’s more important to the Bulls than ever before.

Even with the additions up front, Chicago really needs him. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has reported that Joakim Noah’s knee will be an “issue all season” and that Noah came into camp “panicked” that he wouldn’t be able to take part in practices. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery following Chicago’s playoff defeat, and though the specific issue at hand remains unclear it’s plain to see he still isn’t right. He’ll wear a knee brace all season and has been on a minutes limit so far in the preseason, never playing more than 24 minutes.

Furthermore, when he’s been on the court he hasn’t been the same player. His mobility hampered, Noah has often times been a step slow making a rotation or pursuing a rebound. Chicago planned to lighten Noah’s workload anyway, and now will be extra cautious with him throughout the regular season. Even if he doesn’t miss time Gibson will receive the minutes Noah would have usually played. Noah played in all but two regular season games last year but in the three seasons prior he missed significant time. Lingering injuries can alter the homeostasis of an athlete’s finely tuned body, leading to overcompensation that could result in other, sometimes catastrophic, injuries later on. Derrick Rose played through a multitude of nagging injuries before he tore his ACL, and there was a thought that overcompensation from not trusting his surgically repaired knee helped cause the torn meniscus in his other one. Chicago will look to avoid such a situation with their star center. His break-neck style of play is physically taxing, especially for big guys, and the Bulls want to make sure Noah doesn’t push himself too hard. Gibson will have to be counted on to maintain the defensive intensity for Chicago should Noah miss time with the knee injury and when he isn’t on the court.

Noah isn’t the only frontcourt player with question marks, either. At 34 years old Gasol can’t play big minutes. Chicago will be conservative with Noah’s playing time, and they’ll do the same with Gasol, further heightening their dependence on Gibson. He played 29 minutes a night last year as Boozer’s backup, but that number could actually go up. So far in the preseason we’ve seen Gibson check in for Noah and Gasol slide to the center spot. This will likely be the way their rotation works all year. Like Noah, Gasol won’t play much more than 30 minutes a night, and when he needs a rest Gibson will be his primary replacement.

Not only that, Gasol has had injury plagued seasons as of late too, playing in only 109 games his last two years as a Laker. He appears healthy now, but should an injury occur over the course of the season Gibson is a known commodity for head coach Tom Thibodeau and would receive the bulk of the minutes over Mirotic. After a strong debut against the Washington Wizards, the rookie has been inconsistent offensively and, frankly, a liability defensively. He’ll improve in both areas as the season progresses but Thibodeau rightfully trusts Gibson more.

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We’ve also seen lineups featuring Gibson and Mirotic together, with Gibson manning the middle. Though undersized for a center, Gibson protects the bucket at an elite level. Only three players in the league held opponents to a lower field goal percentage at the rim last year. Gibson’s versatility and ability to guard both frontcourt positions allow him to play with any of Chicago’s other big men, even the defensively limited Mirotic. Thibodeau can plug him into a lot of different lineups without sacrificing offense or defense, meaning he may end up playing more minutes than anyone not named Jimmy Butler. He’s Chicago’s best insurance in case of injury, so if he was ever really on the trade block it’s safe to assume he’s been removed.

Gibson is more than just a backup plan, though. Even if Noah and Gasol stay healthy all year Gibson will remain an extremely valuable and utilized asset. The reason is pretty simple: he is very talented. It could be argued that even in a frontcourt rotation that boasts a two-time champion, the reigning defensive player of the year, and a former ACB League MVP, Gibson is Chicago’s only legitimate two-way player. That’s not to say Noah, Gasol, and Mirotic aren’t talented on both sides of the court, but he has a better back to the basket game than Noah and though Gasol has done a great job protecting the rim so far, Gibson is a better defender than he or Mirotic by a country mile. Of the four, Gibson is the most capable of getting a low post bucket on one end, and then locking up his man on the other. The Bulls picked up Gasol because he was the best free agent available and he signed a very reasonable deal, but they had all the confidence in the world in Gibson’s ability. They even used him as part of their pitch to Anthony. It’s a small sample size, but in the eight games Gibson started for the Bulls last season he averaged 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. Thibodeau will find a way to get that type of talent onto the floor.

Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

He’s also Chicago’s best option for defending Kevin Love. The Cavaliers’ new power forward has a skill set that makes him very difficult to defend, as evidenced by his 26.1 points per game average last season. He ‘s capable of scoring down low, but also can stretch the floor with his outside shooting. His mobility makes him an arduous assignment for Gasol. Noah is certainly capable, but if he isn’t 100% the matchup becomes more challenging for him, too. Gibson has the blend of rim protection and agility to challenge Love down low and also in the pick-and-roll where he was among the league leaders in opponent’s points per play. LeBron had success when running the pick-and-roll with Chris Bosh once Bosh developed his outside touch, and Love is better. Slowing him down in a seven game series could be the difference between a trip to the finals and a summer of heartache.

Gibson’s track record of fourth quarter production is of high value as well. It remains a mystery what lineups Thibodeau will implement to close out games, but if the past tells us anything it’s that he has no qualms about using bench players if he thinks they give his team the best chance to win. Last year Gibson led the team in fourth quarter minutes and finished second in scoring, but going back even further we saw Thibodeau use Gibson and Omer Asik rather than his starting duo of Noah and Boozer quite often. Gasol has been better than advertised defensively so far, but don’t be surprised to see him suffer the same fate as Boozer come crunch time. When it comes down to getting one stop or one rebound, Thibodeau knows he can count on Gibson. His defensive ability and ever-improving offensive game make him an attractive choice for Thibodeau down the stretch, and other than Derrick Rose, maybe Chicago’s most valuable player in a close game. Lineups to finish games will likely depend on the circumstances. With so much talent on the team Thibodeau has the luxury of working matchups that favor the Bulls, but count on Gibson to remain a staple for Chicago in late game situations.

As illogical as it sounds, when the Bulls added Gasol and Mirotic this summer it appeared that Gibson had gone from a starting position to a diminished role or another address. But with the uncertainty surrounding Noah’s health, Gasol’s age, and the inexperience of Mirotic, Gibson is more important to the success of the Chicago Bulls than he’s ever been.

**Unless stated otherwise, all statistics obtained from www.basketball-reference.com