Chicago Bulls: 3 players that will need to make up for Kris Dunn’s absence

Kris Dunn, Tomas Satoransky, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Kris Dunn, Tomas Satoransky, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
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Tomas Satoransky, Chicago Bulls
Tomas Satoransky, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

1) Chicago Bulls who replace Dunn’s role

The other important guard in the Bulls rotation that will have to take on a lot of the matchups defending on the perimeter that Dunn and/or Harrison would otherwise is the lengthy 6-foot-7 and 210 pound 29-year-old combo guard Tomas Satoransky. The former 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft of the Washington Wizards took a bit of a step back during the latter portion of last season.

Sato looked like a really good signing out of the gates for the Bulls last season, but his per game stats and overall efficiency waned as the season moved along. His play dropped off so much in February and early March that he wound up coming off the bench in the Bulls de facto final game of last season, in favor of then rookie point guard White.

During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, Sato played in all 65 games with the Bulls (all but one of which he started in). And he averaged 9.9 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers. Sato shot 43.0 percent from the field, 32.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 87.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Assuming that White takes the starting point guard role for the Bulls at the outset of the 2020-21 regular season, a lot of the pressure will be taken off Sato’s shoulders. It will also give Donovan the option to run Sato at the one or the two off the bench. Maybe Sato can be more efficient with the ball in his hands if his role as a primary ball handler in the starting five with the Bulls is done.