If you watched the Chicago Bulls this season, you likely found yourself starving for a dominant ball handler instead of Kris Dunn.
The sun shines brighter on the United Center for the Chicago Bulls than it did a season ago, even without a clear point guard. Zach LaVine showed potential as a high-tier scoring guard, as his 23.7 points per game ranked 18th in the NBA. Lauri Markkanen made strides, looking like a future All-Star. Wendell Carter Jr seems like a real-deal playoff center despite missing the last 38 games of the season following a left thumb sprain.
Even the Otto Porter Jr swap yielded promising results; the Chicago Bulls played their best basketball in two seasons following the February swap.
However, there’s still some glaring issues with this roster, issues that must be addressed this off-season.
The most important of those issues? Finding a leading one guard.
Clearing up the point guard position is how the Bulls can establish themselves in the East once again.
Last year, the Bulls relied on a committee of Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacono, Shaq Harrison, and LaVine to handle the ball. This committee wasn’t very effective.
Ranking 27th in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls averaged 20.1 assists last season. Further, Bulls guards averaged 8.2 turnovers per contest (28th in the NBA) and had a league-worst plus-minus at -5.4.
With so many catch-and-shoot options on this roster already, a change at the point guard could correlate to huge scoring boosts. So, I’m looking ahead to May and June, when there’s point guards for the taking.
Dating back to last off-season, the Chicago Bulls front office commented that point guard was something of concern. Entering next season, Bulls players are ready to chase the postseason.
Now, the Bulls have to consider the competition around the league in terms of a point guard search. The Phoenix Suns are certainly looking for a point guard, as DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker need a ball handler to ease-up their touches. Further, the Orlando Magic are fresh off of a playoff appearance lacking a clear point guard, making them a potentially attractive free agent landing spot.
Let’s look at some of the Chicago Bulls’ options for a starting point guard for next season.