Many look at Tony Snell as a bust or a D-League bound player next season. But, if Jimmy Butler is indeed traded for draft picks, pairing Tony Snell and Justin Holiday off the bench could provide some good perimeter defense.
The Chicago Bulls will have a huge hole on the wing if they trade away Jimmy Butler for the best value fit for Fred Hoiberg‘s faster offensive system. If the Bulls look to replace Butler in free agency, it may take a few games getting used to the team’s defensive scheme taught by assistant coach Jim Boylen.
However, the Bulls front office doesn’t really need to retool much if Butler is sent elsewhere, because they can actually pair Tony Snell and Justin Holiday and see how good the two work in tandem off the bench.
Casual observers may look at Tony Snell as too inconsistent and too timid a player to be part of the regular rotation. It seems that Hoiberg relied too much on him as a kick-out shooter rather than an effective guard backup defender, who plays best driving the lane and slashing off screens and backdoor plays like he did before Hoiberg arrived.
Justin Holiday has the potential to be a really good defender against opposing point guards, while Tony Snell matches up well with almost every point forward or big guard like LeBron James in a team defense concept. Backcourt defense is a big deal for staying competitive in the NBA.
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The Bulls cannot afford having just Holiday overextending minutes and getting injured. He needs to pair with somebody to help him be more dangerous covering guards and passing lanes, as well as having another slasher to pass to when the Bulls have run-out chances.
Holiday is an excellent passer and an underrated finisher, whether attacking the hoop or knocking down three-point shots.
Along with Snell, the two can chip in with their production on offense and the defense would allow the Bulls not to lose momentum throughout all four quarters; one of their biggest flaws last season.
The Bulls can’t afford not to have high-motor, high-energy players on the court at all times. Pairing Snell with Holiday in the backcourt will keep the team defending well and bring a sense of better minutes management for their starters.
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Derrick Rose and E’Twaun Moore (if he’s re-signed) may not need to work double-time to overhaul big leads if the Bulls second unit in the back court can hold their own, too.
With Aaron Brooks likely out the door this summer, the Bulls should seriously reconsider Tony Snell for the remainder of his still active contract, rather than move him out. Holiday, Snell and Bobby Portis can form a very decent zone-trapping trio who can sync with each other on defense.
A big problem for Hoiberg last year was sticking with Brooks for most of the backup back court duties for the second unit, when he was clearly outmatched by All-Star quality guards like Damian Lillard, John Wall and Kemba Walker.
The severe drop in production and in defensive effort by the Bulls second unit in many games may have come mostly from overusing Brooks in a role where he should never have been playing. Brooks had a bad habit of rushing shots and wasting possessions not looking for the best scoring option on the second unit other than himself.
If Brooks were in a designated role like being catch-and-shoot guard, he would have played better in the new system. But, playing him as a scoring point guard looking for his shot first over the team’s best scoring option cost the team plenty of offensive opportunities.
Tony Snell appeared to be in the doghouse for most of the tail end of the Bulls season and didn’t really get much of a chance to play. When moved to the shooting guard position, Snell has the potential to defend most opposing NBA guards and still give the Bulls decent offense and passing over a guy like Brooks.
Snell has also had some excellent performances when Joakim Noah was healthy and playing off each other in the pick-and-roll on offense. Noah has confidence in Snell as a rim attacker and as a three-point shooter, whom you must feed in-rhythm for him to play well.
It might be already a moot point to talk about what could have been had Snell been playing in a role fitted to his real playing style. But, going into the summer, if the Bulls can keep a Holiday-Snell-Portis trio for some defensive swarming matchups off the bench and still benefit from Snell’s random scoring spurts, that might be good enough to contribute to a couple wins.
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The Bulls still need all the help they can muster on defense with the players they have, but Snell can fit all things considered.