Chicago Bulls: Grading Chandler Hutchison’s 2019 NBA Summer League

Chicago Bulls second-year forward Chandler Hutchison had an up-and-down 2019 NBA Summer League. What grade does he deserve?

Rookies often struggle in Summer League. The spacing is different, they have new teammates and the overall speed of the game is unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. It’s perfectly normal for rookies to take their time in the adjustment period.

Second-year guys are different, though. You always want second-year guys to thrive in Summer League. They’re coming off a full NBA season, they’ve done the whole Summer League thing before and they’re used to the different style of play.

For Chicago Bulls second-year forward Chandler Hutchison, this was an important Summer League. He had an interesting rookie year that was cut short due to an injury. He averaged a little over 20 minutes of play in only 44 games for Chi-Town. Now seemingly healthy, “Hutch” was supposed to dominate in the 2019 NBA Summer League. He didn’t exactly do that, though.

Hutch played in four of the Bulls’ five 2019 NBA Summer League games, averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. Those numbers aren’t horrible, but he was super inefficient. Over the course of those four games, he shot 29.4% from the field and 20% from 3-point land.

It’s important to remain level-headed about Summer League. It’s not even close to an accurate representation of what we’re going to see in the regular season. But still, it’s disheartening to see Hutch struggle so much with his shot.

Despite his rough shooting from the field, there were still some good things that Hutch did. He rebounded the ball well (19 rebounds over the last two games), he was physical on defense, he got out in transition and most importantly, he got to the free-throw line.

Sometimes when young players struggle with their shot, they get passive. That’s not what Hutch did, though. He consistently worked at finding ways to get to the basket, often getting fouled. In the four games Hutch appeared in, he averaged seven free-throw attempts. Considering he only averaged 26 minutes of playing time per game, that’s a lot. 

It was encouraging to see Hutch attacking the basket with such fury, but it would’ve been nice if he was more efficient finishing around the basket. Many of his drives resulted in wild layups that clanked off the rim. If he gets better at finishing through contact, he’ll be a dangerous player in the paint.

Another part of Hutch’s Summer League that impressed me was his improved confidence. During the 2018-19 regular season, he often looked uncomfortable. He didn’t always look like he wanted the ball, and when he had the ball, he didn’t always look like he knew what to do with it. That was different in the 2019 NBA Summer League, though. He knew he was one of the best players on the court (even if he wasn’t playing like it), and he consistently seemed like he wanted the ball. Even better, when he had the ball he was decisive.

Hutchison’s improved confidence and aggressive play in the paint don’t make up for all the bad moments he had. He turned the ball over far too much, including five turnovers in 23 minutes against the Pelicans. And as previously mentioned, he shot the ball at a terrible rate.

Overall, Hutch didn’t make the statement I was hoping he’d make, but he still looked like a player who has improved. Has he improved enough to make me feel comfortable with where he’s at, though? No.

Grade: C