Chicago Bulls: Individual challenges for each player
Tomas Satoransky: Facilitate the starting five until Coby White is ready to start
Tomas Satoransky was a great addition for the Bulls, as the team was in dire need of point guard depth. Satoransky appears to be the most likely option to begin the season as the starting point guard, but is by no means the long-term solution at the position.
Until Coby White takes the throne, Satoransky should look to strictly facilitate the offense and feed the offensive threats that the rest of the starting five provides. After White becomes the full-time starter, Satoransky will be a great bench piece, but it is crucial that he holds the starting five together enough to stay in playoff contention in the meantime.
Thaddeus Young: Become the locker room leader of the young Chicago Bulls
One of the biggest issues with the Bulls this past year (reportedly) was the lack of a serious drive to win basketball games and winning attitude. This can be somewhat expected on a young roster such as Chicago’s, but a solution is still very necessary.
Everyone knows that Thaddeus Young is a very capable player on the court and will contribute immensely to the Bulls’ massive bench issues. However, perhaps the most important thing Young brings to the table as a Bull is his reputation as a great teammate and leader. The Bulls’ young core will look to Young as an example and leader in the locker room, which could lead to a major attitude change in the organization.
Denzel Valentine: Re-enter relevancy in the Bulls’ young core
Denzel Valentine has been almost totally dismissed from the conversation of the Bulls’ young core, which would more than likely not be the case if he did not sit out the entirety of his third NBA season. Many forget that Valentine was virtually the first piece of this rebuild, as the team drafted him 14th overall in 2016. He was the first Bulls’ lottery pick since Derrick Rose in 2008, and had progressed quite well in his first two professional seasons.
In the final year of his rookie contract, if Valentine cannot stay healthy or find success this season, the writing could be on the wall for the former Michigan State Spartan. On the contrary, if Denzel is able to play solid basketball of the bench as an offensive catalyst, he could be a huge reason why this team finds success and could earn himself a multi-year deal to stay in Chicago.