Chicago Bulls could thrive in a two-point-guard lineup featuring Trae Young

The Chicago Bulls will have some big decisions to make when this season ends and the draft process begins. Let’s take a look at a possible first pick option for the Bulls in this upcoming draft: Trae Young. 

Two-point-guard lineups are something that is commonly debated among NBA analysts. Some people love ’em, some people hate ’em. Mark me down as one of those people that love ’em. That led me to think, what would happen if the Chicago Bulls drafted Trae Young with their first pick, despite the success and growth of current point guard, Kris Dunn?

Now, maybe I’m a little biased as a Kansas Jayhawks fan. Last college season, the Jayhawks rolled out a dual point guard lineup featuring Frank Mason and Devonte Graham. It was dominant, to say the least. But you don’t have to lecture me on how big of a difference the college game is compared to the NBA game. I just happen to think it might work out for the young Chicago Bulls.

Two-point-guard lineups’ current level of success in the NBA 

Currently, in the NBA, there are a few teams experimenting with the atypical two-point-guard lineup. An extreme example (and kind of an unfair one in all honesty) is the Houston Rockets. Even though James Harden had been a shooting guard for the majority of his career, he made the move to point guard last year and had one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history. Then in the offseason, the Rockets added future Hall of Fame point guard, Chris Paul to play alongside him.

I’m by no means comparing a Trae Young-Kris Dunn combination to that of Chris Paul and James Harden – but the Rockets are showing that having two ball-dominant playmaking guards in the backcourt can work.

According to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni had a plan.

"“I will have a Hall of Fame point guard on the floor at all times, I promise you that,” D’Antoni says."

D’Antoni had to find a way to split the minutes to make sure one of them was always on the court at all times, and I think that’s something that Fred Hoiberg could also do. Obviously, neither Trae Young or Kris Dunn are Hall of Famers (yet), but having a quality point guard on the floor at all times and not having to revert to a backup point guard is a luxury most teams don’t have. Just imagine a starting quality point guard always going at the other teams second unit. I love it.

Another example is The New Orleans Pelicans. They start both Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday – two natural point guards. While most of the Pelicans success can be chalked up to Anthony Davis’ ridiculous play, there is no question that the presence of Holiday and Rondo have contributed to their rise to 6th place in the Western Conference. While this duo doesn’t enjoy anywhere near the amount of success as James Harden and Chris Paul, it still does quite well. It also might be a better comparison to what the Chicago Bulls would have. Rondo is more similar to Dunn than James Harden or Chris Paul.

Trae Young’s fit as a Chicago Bull

Trae Young has had his fair share of ups and downs throughout his breakout collegiate season. He started off taking the entire country by storm with his electric passes and his limitless range. His floor vision is crazy and his shooting is Steph Curry-esque. Take a look at these two passes:

And as for his aforementioned shot-making ability? It’s Unbelievable. Here are some examples:

It’s no mystery why he possesses the ability to make difficult shots. Just take a look at this workout he was doing in the gym. Being able to shoot off of bad passes or off the dribble is a great way to improve your overall shot-making ability and it shows in the previous highlight.

It’s not to say he’s automatic, however. He, along with the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners, have really been struggling lately. But as Trae Young pointed out, teams are guarding him differently.

"“I’m getting guarded like nobody else in the country is being guarded, scouted on like no one else in the country is,” Young says."

Trae Young has a point. It’s not like the 2017-18 Sooners are filled with superstars. Opposing teams know the offense is going through Young and that’s making it tough on him. In the NBA, however, this shouldn’t be a problem. What are opposing teams going to do? Triple-team Young and leave LaVine open for a back-door cut or Markkanen open for a spot-up three? I don’t think so.

The NBA is a shooting league. Everyone knows that by now. While I love Kris Dunn and do believe he is the point guard of the future for the Chicago Bulls, his floor spacing is a real problem. But what Dunn does bring to the table is elite defense and the ability to get to the basket and make plays for his teammates. Balance that out with Young’s ability to score from anywhere on the court and his passing abilities and the Bulls could have one of the NBA’s most prolific backcourts in a few years.

The problems with my masterful plan

While this all seems fine and dandy on paper, the reality is, there are some flaws.

Starting both Kris Dunn and Trae Young would mean Zach LaVine would have to transition into the 3 spot. Now that the NBA is going with “positionless” basketball, this normally wouldn’t be a problem other than the fact that the Bulls would be outsized on the perimeter against nearly every team.

Trae Young is 6’2″, Kris Dunn is 6’4″, and Zach LaVine is 6’5″.

With those three out on the court together, there is a possibility for some real problems on the defensive end.

Young is a liability on defense already and going with a small lineup won’t make that any easier on him. The good news, though, is Kris Dunn is one of the elite on-ball defenders in the NBA and can guard the opposing teams best guard while the Bulls can try and do something to hide Trae Young on an opposing team’s shooter. Zach LaVine also has much room for growth on the defensive end but he seems to be continually getting better and this potential roster would really force him to work on that aspect of his game. Lucky for him, his offensive work-load would get lightened enough for him to exert the extra energy on the defensive end. Also, his out-of-this-world athleticism can help him make up for some defensive deficiencies.

I still think the Chicago Bulls should draft a guy like Marvin Bagley or Michael Porter Jr. if they tank hard enough to get the chance, but it’s looking like the Chicago Bulls will be drafting somewhere between that 6 and 8 spot – right about where I project Trae Young to fall.

The offensive potential that a lineup consisting of Kris Dunn, Trae Young, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen would have is crazy. You’d have athletes that can get to the rim, as well as playmakers and elite shooters with in-the-gym range.

Next: Three second-round sleepers for the Bulls to target in the draft

If nothing else, this would be one of the most fun Chicago Bulls teams to watch in recent years. The energy would be electric.