Outside of Butler, who is the key player for Chicago?
Whitlow: The obvious answer is Dwyane Wade and it’s the right answer. He truthfully makes the Bulls worse, but the Bulls are going to need his scoring in their series against Boston. Wade’s a playoff vet with plenty of big-time moments. If the Bulls are going to pull a Denver in 1994 and eliminate the top seed, Wade’s going to have to do more than take bad shots and drift completely out of plays for 15-20 seconds at a time. Butler needs help and Wade (and Nikola Mirotic for that matter) have to provide it for the Bulls to have any chance.
Fourte: The key player for Chicago for me would have to be Rajon Rondo. Since he has shot over 50 percent from behind the arc since the beginning of March, he has been a key contributor to the road to the playoffs without Dwyane Wade. With averages of 12 points, 6.2 rebounds, and eight assists after being a starter since March 12th, his leadership has truly been showing. The Rondo we knew in past seasons was a cancerous, cantankerous veteran. This season, he has been the exact opposite and has acted like a pure team captain.
Sheetz: My key guys are going to be Mirotic and Grant. Mirotic is obviously vital to the recent success for the team and acts as a lynch pin for the offense. I really really really want Hoiberg to start Grant and have Rondo come off the bench. It just makes sense fit wise. a guy who needs the ball less and can shoot (maybe?) with Wade and Butler while you surround Rondo with shooters for the second unit. Makes sense to me but I’m just a dude on a couch right meow.
Berry: It has to be Dwyane Wade. Wade has been quite frustrating at times this season, but also has shown what he was supposed to bring to the team – crunch time scoring. The image ingrained in my mind is one of Wade hitting a dagger to put the Boston Celtics away in his first game as a Bull. However, Wade significantly cramps the offense and if he falls asleep on defense against Boston they will torch him, rendering him useless. Wade is going to get a chance to be a hometown hero against the Celtics, but he may end up hurting Chicago more than he helps.
Coughlin: Nikola Mirotic. He was worryingly bad against mediocre competition to close the season. They need his passing. They need his threat from the perimeter to help space for the ball stoppers and lane-cloggers that otherwise impede Butler.