Chicago Bulls: Boylen’s nine man rotation may not be what we think
By Abe Rotbart
No. 4 The Rookies
Chicago Bulls Fans really want to see first round pick Coby White take the floor. Reports out of training camp are that he is already progressing faster than expected.
There are two factors though that may initially limit his playing time during his rookie campaign. His age and Kris Dunn’s trade value must be considered.
Some coaches are not big fans of playing rookies to begin with. We have yet to see if Jim Boylen is such a coach. At 19 years old, White could learn a lot by mostly observing for the first couple months.
Many players such as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons sat out their entire rookie year and their growth was not stunted whatsoever. One can even argue that throwing an inexperienced rookie out there too soon can damage his confidence.
Still, the biggest roadblock for White to get more playing time will be the situation of Dunn. Many in the media say they will be shocked if Dunn is not moved before the trade deadline. It behooves the team to allow Dunn to have first dibs at running the second unit to increase his trade value. If Dunn does not return to his 2017-18 form however, White may take his place in the nine man rotation.
The other rookie, Daniel Gafford, also has the potential to see plenty of playing time. His strengths are his defense and his high percentage shooting inside the paint. He has the raw ability to essentially become a taller version of Thad Young.
His play in Summer League took many pleasantly by surprise and he will eventually be a back up to Wendell Carter. With time he will prove to be a valuable commodity, but likely he will start the season learning the nuances of NBA basketball mostly from the bench. Count on Kornet being the backup center to start the year.