What Tomas Satoransky Brings to the Chicago Bulls
By Zack Kobler
The addition of Tomas Satoransky makes the Chicago Bulls a playoff hopeful in the Eastern Conference for the first time in three years.
The Chicago Bulls free agency thus far is A plus material with the additions of Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky. Young will add top-notch defense that suffocates opponents and forces them into bad shots on the second unit with Coby White, but he’s not the topic of discussion right now. Satoransky’s length and IQ on the court will translate tremendously next to the young guys that fill out the starting five.
The Chicago Bulls front office made the right decision, signing him to a three-year $30 million deal, especially with White getting time to really understand the NBA. And even better, break through the widely known epidemic that young point guards face when choosing to run around the court like a kid who lost his mom in the grocery store. I really like this signing, it makes a ton of sense.
The six-foot-seven point guard is someone who I have watched rather closely since his stint in the NBA began because I follow John Wall religiously; he’s my favorite player. Satoransky doesn’t bring athleticism to the table, similar to most European players, but he brings commodities that don’t show up in the box score.
Satoransky’s willingness to take shots is not of a volume you would expect or want from a starting point guard, but when you have a star next to you in Bradley Beal, what can you expect? He shoots with precision and takes smart shots that don’t leave you with your hands up screaming at your screen at a terrible shot attempt. In turn, you always expect his shots to go in – shooting 48 percent from the floor – and when he misses, you gasp, knowing that will likely only happen one or two more times for the rest of the game.
It’s no different when he runs the pick-and-roll. He likes to get the elbow and launch a guaranteed bucket – it’s his science. Of course, you will find bigs catching onto it, cheating their way up, leaving Wendell Carter or Lauri Markkanen a present at the rim.
As I mentioned, he loves the elbow, and when Thomas Bryant gives Satoransky enough space to operate, Eric Bledsoe is left jumping into oblivion while Satoransky spots-up, leaving the net motionless. He’s prone to doing something of this iteration nearly every time he’s in the position to do so.
Satoransky’s slight hesitation made Bryn Forbes believe Jeff Green’s pick was coming, leaving a pathway to an easy deuce. The part that makes his decision making so essential to the other four guys on the floor is that when he’s given a runway to the basket off a pick, he’s able to finish with a smooth finger roll leaving his teammates satisfied.
, Lauri Markannen and
will have the ball in their hands far more in a half-court setting, we have to expect that, but it leaves Satoransky poaching spots around the arc spotting up for three’s. Per
, in the catch and shoot situation, he shoots 39 percent on 1.9 attempts, which I expect to move into 2.5 to three a game range.
That height advantage over most point guards is quintessential in the catch and shoot situation, it left De’Aaron Fox wishing he was two inches taller to get a real contest. This is something we will see a lot as the season unfolds.
I had real anxiety before free agency started because I wasn’t sure how the backcourt would hold up defensively featuring White and LaVine, but now the anxiety has vanquished. The length Satoransky shows while he rips the ball from Kevin Durant, leading to a transition dunk on the other end. His ability to defend at an above average rate is perfect for the Chicago Bulls and it will lead to transition points time and time again.
The intelligent basketball plays aren’t limited to shots only. His selectiveness to cut when his defenders fall asleep is crucial for easy shots but his passing can be just as electrifying, leading to wide-open shot attempts for everyone on the floor.
Even when Satoransky is driving straight into Brook Lopez’s shot blocking clinic – he doesn’t even flinch – with a flawless cut leading to a floater that proves gravity is real. His cutting is a genuine art form that he has mastered to such a degree that almost no one matches in the NBA.
Bradley Beal’s gravity on the floor leaves the other end similar to a midnight graveyard – empty. Satoransky takes full advantage of a team centered on help-side coverage, leading to panic amongst the Orlando Magic and an easy decision for Satoransky to pass it off for a nail in the coffin dunk.
This is where the crucial passes come into play. Satoransky splits two defenders with a failed behind the back dribble but regains his composure and fires off a perfectly placed pass for Kelly Oubre to capitalize on. His passing is in no way flashy but he normally sets up guys for great shots. I expect everyone on the Bulls roster to benefit from this tremendously – DIMER!
dark. Next. Ideal Bulls post-NBA Draft, free agency rotation
Even though the playoffs are probably just a pipe dream, Tomas Satoransky’s presence alone will make Chicago Bulls fan hopeful for the future.