It’s no secret that the Chicago Bulls should be looking to add a new point guard to the team this offseason. What type of point guard should they be looking for, though?
Point guard is the most important position in basketball. Point guards have the ball in their hands and they create shots for teammates. They simply control the game. The Chicago Bulls need a point guard that can help take them to the next level. Unfortunately, Kris Dunn isn’t that guy.
Dunn is still fairly young, he can defend at a high level and he has a high motor. But he struggles to shoot the ball, make plays for his teammates and impact the game in a positive way. I still believe in Dunn as a backup point guard in this league, I’ve lost all hope in him being a starting point guard on a playoff team.
So now that we know the Bulls need a new point guard, it’s time to decide what type of point guard they need. I’m not talking about veteran vs. youngster, I’m talking about playing style.
There’s not one specific style of point guard that works in the NBA. There’s Kemba Walker – the small, quick, herky-jerky, score-first point guard. There’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – the lengthy, defensive-minded, mid-range assassin. There’s Trae Young – the elite pick-and-roll playmaker with unlimited range. There’s Russell Westbrook – the uber-athletic, triple-double machine.
The list goes on and on. Variety is both the spice of life and the spice of point guards in the NBA.
Ja Morant – a Bulls fan favorite – fits the Russell Westbrook mold. He’s an awe-inspiring athlete, he stuffs the stat sheet and he can set up his teammates with ease. A lot of Bulls fans are already picking out their Ja Morant jerseys, but I’m a little more skeptical about his fit with the Bulls.
I love Ja, but he struggles to shoot the ball from deep (don’t let his NCAA Tournament shooting percentages fool you – it was only two games), he has limited defensive upside and he plays best with the ball in his hands. The defensive issues don’t concern me as much as his iffy jumper does. I’m of the belief that your point guard needs to be able to shoot the 3-ball efficiently. Even the Thunder, despite being an elite team, can get shot out of a playoff game by Russell Westbrook bricking three after three.
I’m not saying the Bulls shouldn’t draft Ja Morant. I’m just suggesting that it might not be the picture-perfect fit that a lot of Bulls fans think it is. With Zach LaVine on the court, the Bulls need someone to space the floor, and Morant just doesn’t do that.
A better fit for the Bulls might be someone like Darius Garland – a kid that fits the Trae Young mold. Garland will have the same issues on the defensive end as Morant – he’s short and has a wiry frame. But Garland is a much better shooter and has more potential as an off-ball player.
Garland is facing a lot of the same scrutiny that Trae Young faced before getting drafted. Is he strong enough? Can he get his shot off? You’ve heard it all before. But Young has taken the league by storm this season, proving that there’s room in the league for little guys that can shoot and make plays out of the pick-and-roll.
Lastly, while I believe Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be an excellent NBA player, the lengthy, defensive-minded point guard that struggles to shoot the ball from 3-point range isn’t what the Bulls need. Kris Dunn is basically a poor man’s Gilgeous-Alexander and clearly, that isn’t working.
Now, it’s up to the Bulls. There’s a good chance they’ll be able to end up with either Ja Morant or Darius Garland, depending on where the ping pong balls fall and who the Bulls feel fits with the direction of the team.
I tend to favor the Trae Young type of point guard over the Russell Westbrook type of point guard, but maybe the Bulls’ front office has other ideas.