1) Chicago Bulls that benefited under Boylen: Shaquille Harrison
Definitely one of the most underrated parts of the Bulls backcourt rotation down the stretch during the 2019-20 regular season was the former Tulsa Golden Hurricane and 6-foot-4 and 190 pound Kansas City, MO, native combo guard Shaquille Harrison. The elevated play and consistency of Harrison down the stretch in the season that was definitely flew too far under the radar.
Maybe it was just Harrison hitting a hot stretch, or a product of elevated playing time and an easier schedule after the turn of the calendar year, but he was really good more often than not. Harrison played in 43 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season for the Bulls (starting in 10 of them).
He averaged 4.9 points per game, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And Harrison shot 46.7 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line. That amounted to a career and team-high 2.8 box plus/minus rating, .153 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 17.8 player efficiency rating.
Harrison was also pretty good for the Bulls down the stretch during the 2018-19 season. It is often forgotten how deep the Bulls had to dig to find depth in the backcourt rotation in the last dozen games or so during Boylen’s first season at the helm. Harrison was one of the more reliable two-way guards he had on the roster at the time.