Chicago Bulls: Fixing Jim Boylen’s rotation after first 20 games
Battle for the sixth man
Since the distribution of the minutes off the bench for Boylen and the Chicago Bulls just hasn’t been right this season, establishing the roles of the sixth and seventh man are important. If the Bulls have more clearly defined roles, then this team would have more structure and a more set path to find success.
There isn’t any established units that the Bulls can rely on off the bench on either end of the floor. Boylen has a number of solid volume scorers, defensive specialists, and corner shooters that he can utilize in the backcourt rotation. Instead of spacing out their minutes appropriately, four of the Bulls point guards are among the eight with the most minutes on the roster this season.
Yet, there are two players that stick out among the rest as solid candidates to be the established sixth man. If Boylen wants to utilize more of a defensive first unit off the bench, and his wings start getting healthier, then fourth-year point guard Kris Dunn should the choice for sixth man. Dunn is thriving in his newfound role as a defensive stopper off the bench. He leads the NBA in steals so far.
The more well-rounded veteran that the Bulls could turn to make an impact off the bench is former Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young. It seems like this young Bulls team might benefit more from a veteran presence in the sixth man role than a fourth-year defensive specialist that doesn’t have a great offensive arsenal like Dunn.