Tony Snell should get an opportunity to for more playing time

Nov 24, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) defends against Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. Chicago won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Just when the Chicago Bulls thought they were getting back to full strength, they lost another player that was part of their rotation. Kirk Hinrich went down with an injury this time around. Hinrich will be sitting out Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards with a hamstring strain. He did not travel with the team to Washington.

Coach Thibs believes that it will take a couple of days for Hinrich to get back on the court, so his status for the Christmas game against the Los Angeles Lakers is up in the air as well.

Hinrich left last night’s game against the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter with the injury. Aaron Brooks came into the game to take over for his minutes. With Hinrich out, the Bulls will find out who can stick in the rotation at the 2-guard spot. Will anyone step up?

Tony Snell should be the player to take over the position, but he has not shown any confidence on the court when he gets into the games. He has averaged 9 minutes per game this season and that is down from the 16 minutes per game in his rookie year. His field goal percentage has dropped from .384 last season to the .342 this season. He hasn’t been good on the defensive end either.

Dec 14, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Danny Granger (22) blocks a shot from Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell (20) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Against the Knicks a few games ago, Snell gave way to Moore for playing time. Snell was struggling on defense for the Bulls and was allowing some easy buckets to the Knicks, so Thibs flipped things around. Here is a ddescription from the Chicago Tribune:

"Snell lost his rotation turn in the second half of the Knicks’ game to E’Twaun Moore. On Friday against the Grizzlies, he missed four quick shots in six first-half minutes, including three 3-pointers, and also missed defensive assignments."

This is Snell’s opportunity to get playing time. This is his chance to prove that he deserves a roster spot. With Hinrich nursing the hamstring injury, this will be Snell’s chance to show his value.

What can Tony Snell bring to the court? He is the only pure shooting guard off of the bench. At 6-foot-7, he has a good 3 inches over Kirk. He has the length to defend against the taller guards in the game. He should be the guy taking over at the guard spot in the rotation, but he has not played well enough to take it.

Snell was able to build some confidence in the Summer League, but he has not been able to bring that confidence to the regular season.

"“If you’re not confident out there, you shouldn’t be playing,” Snell said in an interview in Las Vegas during the Summer League. “I’ve got a lot of shots up this summer and I feel pretty confident.”"

During the Summer, he was averaging 20 points and 4 rebounds per game. He showed that he could be a solid contributor on the floor.

We are waiting to see that confidence. We have not seen it yet.