Chicago Bulls at Sacramento Kings: 3 takeaways from a close road victory
Michael Carter-Williams: best at SF?
Monday night marked the second consecutive game where Michael Carter-Williams was officially listed at the small forward position.
It also was the second straight game of excellence from MCW, which sparks the question, should he be playing at the point guard position?
Carter-Williams dropped 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block against the Kings. Two nights before that, he had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Houston Rockets while guarding James Harden on the defensive end. In both games, he shot over 60 percent from the field.
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Simply put, MCW is at his best when the ball isn’t always in his hands. Against both Houston and Sacramento, the Bulls continually changed who was bringing the ball up the court; sometimes it was Wade, other times it was Grant, and occasionally MCW as well.
By not handling the ball every time up the floor like we’re used to seeing, MCW was able to get into rhythm by playing off the ball. In the first quarter, he had a few nice cuts that led to easy baskets. Then, once he got hot, he was ready to just bully his man into the paint and either finish or kick the ball to an open shooter.
The last two games have made it clear that MCW has found his confidence. He’s already a strong defender, but lately he has made an impact on the offensive end as well. Perhaps the flashes of greatness from his rookie year can return, just with MCW not necessarily at the point guard position.