This part of the list goes way back for the Jim Boylen days to when he was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. At that time, the Chicago Bulls were trying tor rebuild in the post-Michael Jordan era. That time was the so called “Baby Bulls” era that finally saw this team catch success in the East in the mid-2000’s.
However, when Boylen was with the Warriors he had teams that put up real fight. A player that was in the twilight of his NBA career while Boylen was coaching in the Bay Area was former star shooting guard Jason Richardson.
There are a number of commonalities between the skill sets and physical tools of J-Rich and current Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine. Both sat or sit among the best dunkers in the NBA during their prime. We assume that LaVine will be among the best dunkers in the NBA for a good while heading into the future.
However, the 2003-04 season was the most exposure that Boylen and Richardson have with each other. Richardson was just beginning to blossom as a natural scorer then by averaging 18.7 points per game, 2.9 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. J-Rich was also a true two-way wing then and Boylen could’ve played a positive role in his development.