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Windy City Roster Outlook: Shooting Guard

By Daniel Coughlin

Jul 18, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) celebrates after scoring the game winning basket over the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime to give the Chicago Bulls the NBA Summer League title at Thomas & Mack Center. Chicago won the game in overtime 84-82. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 18, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) celebrates after scoring the game winning basket over the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime to give the Chicago Bulls the NBA Summer League title at Thomas & Mack Center. Chicago won the game in overtime 84-82. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA is almost back! With that realization comes another – the inaugural Windy City Bulls season is also just around the corner and with it comes a Windy City roster.

There’s a little more time before the D-League gets underway, but last week we got started by guessing at some potential coaching options for the Bulls when the season starts in November. This week, we’ll be running through a look at some of the roster candidates for each position on the D-League roster.

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Shooting Guards

J.R. Smith – How amazing would it be if the awe-inspiring, shirtless wonder that is Smith were to find himself unable to secure an NBA contract for the upcoming season. Better yet, what if he went crazy and decided to take a voluntary trip to the D-League. This is, of course, never happening. Still, since he is an as of yet unsigned free agent, he’s fair game and we can wish for it. Imagine a mid-January Windy City game promotion where Smith personally asks every person in attendance if they trying to get the pipe. That’s a sold out game, you’re welcome Windy City.

Jerian Grant – Grant was part of the Las Vegas squad for the Bulls this summer. He was acquired via the Derrick Rose trade with the New York Knicks. You can read our Las Vegas profile on Grant, here. He doesn’t figure to be a regular for Windy City. Just the same, he also doesn’t figure to be a regular in the starting lineup for Chicago. Grant isn’t even a true shooting guard according to most evaluators. He primarily slots in as a point guard, though he’s blocked in the rotation either way. Unless there are injuries or trades involving Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and maybe even Dinwiddie, he’s got a long way to go. It seems likely that Grant spends at least a couple of games at Sears Center, but only short term. He should be a fixture on the NBA side for most of the season.

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Rasheed Sulaimon – Another Las Vegas Summer League player. Sulaimon was a major prep recruit for Duke in 2012, but has a long was to go in terms of his potential. We did a profile on Sulaimon for the summer league, right here. Sulaimon always seemed more like a D-League possibility than a true contender for a camp invite in Chicago. He has the skill set to make something of himself on a basketball court, but he’s going to need time to get there. Windy City seems like the right kind of place for a guy like Sulaimon.

Kiwi Gardner – Gardner is a true option for Windy City, probably the best option for them coming out of their expansion draft at the guard position. Gardner is exclusively a point guard, but there are two things at play which caused me to put him under shooting guard. First, he did this incredible thing as a primary ball-handler which would be very handy at the two guard.

Specifically, if Grant or Dinwiddie end up doing some time in the D-League, lining Gardner up next to one of those two players might be the way to go.  The other thing is this: there are a ton of options for the point guard position and we needed to find players that would even out the categories a bit more. So, I guess what I’m saying is that the Bulls will probably have Gardner on roster as a point guard, but I already had a lot of point guard options so I opted to include him with the shooting guards where I was unimpressed or felt that the options for Windy City are thin.

The Bulls will also have several players whom they selected in the D-League expansion draft. If they find any keeps from that draft, they could be deep at the guard position. For right now, several of those players already have some type of deal that might keep them from ever truly being a possibility, but we will have to see what develops on that front.

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