One aspect of this ever-improving Chicago Bulls team that has come to the forefront during this solid run to round out the month of February is the play from their veteran role players off the bench. First-year head coach Billy Donovan has a set of veterans he can rely on in almost any situation to come through in the clutch for him, and that can help move this young core forward.
It also looks like the Bulls trio of free agent signings from the 2019 offseason are starting to find their way with the Bulls this season. Even former New York Knicks and Vanderbilt Commodores big man Luke Kornet is getting more regular minutes in the rotation in the absence of fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen.
But the two players among the Bulls 2019 free agent signings that are really making meaningful contributions off the bench this season are veteran forward Thaddeus Young and combo guard/wing Tomas Satoransky. Those two are helping the Bulls win more often this season, and boosting the depth off the bench.
Young is clearly elevating his game to a new level this season, but he’s been doing that pretty much the entire campaign since Donovan took over. But it is Sato that has started to really catch fire of late for this Bulls backcourt rotation. Since returning to the lineup from a mandated quarantine due to a breach of the NBA’s health and safety protocols last month, Sato is really finding his way.
The game that Sato returned for the Bulls in particular came back on was in a win over the Charlotte Hornets on the road on Jan. 22. But it wasn’t really until the turn of the calendar to February when Sato’s game really took off.
Since Feb. 12, the Bulls are 4-2, and during that span Sato has scored in double figures and been at least a net positive or neutral on the floor five times. That’s not much of a coincidence that the Bulls are getting huge contributions off the bench from Sato and Young of late, and winning more often because of it.
What Sato has done for the Chicago Bulls in February
It’s not necessarily the counting stats in the month of February that really show the value that Sato has contributed in a meaningful way on both ends of the floor. The shooting percentages, efficiency, and timeliness of Sato’s production in conjunction with so many other veterans on this team of late is what matters most.
In a dozen games played in the month of February thus far, Sato has averaged 8.1 points per game (best of any month this season to date), 2.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.3 blocks, and just 1.1 turnovers. And he’s shot an ultra-efficient 55.6 percent from the field, 47.4 percent from beyond the arc, and a perfect 100.0 percent from the free-throw line.
That all has amounted to a sparkling 68.4 true shooting percentage, along with an insane 134 offensive rating/113 defensive rating. He is also roughly a +10 when on the floor for the Bulls this month.
As a whole, the impact that Sato is making for the Bulls this month is profound. And it’s likely what the original intention was when the Bulls brought him to the Windy City more than one year ago. He’s actually more efficient in his time on the floor this month than second-year point guard Coby White, who is getting essentially all the starts at the one this season.
Sato and the Bulls now hold a record of 15-16 following their close 133-126 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home at the United Center on Feb. 24. They now sit on a three-game winning streak ahead of their next outing, which comes against the Phoenix Suns at home on Feb. 26.