Chicago Bulls Rotation Adjustment: Troy Brown Jr. gets more Involved
Brown Jr. was another steal for the Bulls at the trade deadline. He is still young and is a capable and versatile player on both offense and defense when he is locked in.
Since his arrival in Chicago, the Bulls have faired much better with him on the court than with him off the court. Specifically, they have been far more productive defensively when he is playing than when he is not. That alone should have him locked into a fair amount of minutes night in and night out.
Add in the team’s recent struggles on defense specifically when rookie Patrick Williams is on the court and you have a direct route to more playing time for Brown. Williams is capable of understanding why and that this isn’t a long-term thing and could maintain his role in the starting five.
Brown Jr. could start bringing the energy he brings to the court even more and would make the team much better at getting stops on defense. In turn, they would be better from an overall standpoint as well.
Check out just some of the absurd numbers related to Brown since joining the Bulls.
Brown Jr. is ninth in total minutes played in that span for the Chicago Bulls (141). He is first on the team in overall +/-, though, through that same exact stretch of basketball.
To put it quite simply: The Chicago Bulls are playing way better with Brown in the game than not in the game. When on the court, Brown Jr. has helped the Bulls to a 105.6 defensive rating. When off the court the team’s number jumps up to 120.2.
That is an incredible difference in a short amount of time. Add in Williams, who has the team’s worst defensive rating over those same games, and you can understand how Brown Jr. will help.
Even though Williams is a key part of the future his minutes need to start going to someone who is helping more unless this Bulls team is going to watch the playoffs from home. He can still play a significant role and get valuable experience for himself and with his teammates.
When needed, both Aminu and Brown Jr. should be asked to shoulder some of those minutes usually going to Williams and Markkanen. It’s time to play guys who will play defense and make the most out of this season.
Simply getting minutes allocated to Brown Jr. and Aminu while cutting down on any for Valentine would make this Bulls team better positioned to win games the rest of the way.