Ravaged by injuries, the Chicago Bulls are an absolute mess. If Chandler Hutchison gets more minutes, he could help the team get back on track.
Before injuries to Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., the Chicago Bulls’ offense was one of the toughest to watch in the league. Now, with two of their three best offensive players out of the lineup (three of their four best if you count Otto Porter Jr.), the Bulls are an absolute disaster on that end of the court.
Since Lauri’s been out, Zach LaVine has basically been the only source of offense for Chicago. If he’s not on the court, the team looks lost. If he’s on the court and the ball isn’t in his hands, the team looks lost. The Bulls desperately need a couple more guys to step up and help take the burden off of LaVine.
Chandler Hutchison can be one of those guys if given an expanded role.
Hutch has had a rough season so far. He missed a hefty chunk of games with a shoulder injury and has often found himself outside of the standard rotation when healthy. Over the last few games, though, Hutch has shown some signs of life. He’s doing a nice job of getting to the rim, and he’s been extremely active on defense, coming up with a ton of steals.
Over the last five games, he’s averaging eight points per game on 53.8 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent shooting from deep to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Those numbers don’t pop off the page, but he’s been playing less than 20 minutes per game during that stretch. Those per-game numbers translate to 14.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 steals per 36 minutes. Those are numbers the Bulls could use right now.
Hutch still has a long way to go as a shooter. He looks uncomfortable when he takes outside jumpers. But he’s been really good lately at breaking down opposing defenses and getting to the rim.
Check this out:
Hutch dropped the hammer on 'em 😮🔨@nbcschicago | #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/ERvibunYy0
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2020
That’s an impressive drive and an elite finish.
Chandler Hutchison isn’t the kind of guy that’s going to make the Bulls a threat to anyone in the playoffs, but he’s the kind of guy that can help the Bulls stay afloat while they wait for the eventual returns of Porter, Carter and Markkanen.
It’s time to extend Hutchison’s role. He’s ready to take the leap.