3 fixes for the Chicago Bulls to make the playoffs

3. The Chicago Bulls need a consistent bench rotation

So far, the points that have been outlined fall more on the players. But that doesn’t excuse Coach Billy Donovan from some of the blame. While at first it may have been hard on him to find a consistent bench rotation in the middle of the season after so many trades, enough time has now passed for him to surely have nailed down 9 or so guys that should be playing each night.

Since making the big trade, the Chicago Bulls bench ranks 21st in bench points, at 32.9 per game. This is down from the 34.6 points the Bulls averaged on the whole year. However, it is hard to nail down just a couple of guys who let the team down in that department, because the minutes have been all over the place.

Take Lauri Markkanen as an example. In the last 6 games, his minutes off the bench have been all over the place. Against Memphis, he logged 16 minutes, while against Atlanta just 3 days prior, he hit 27 minutes.

While it’s hard to judge Coach Donovan for not having a clear rotation set after so many big deals, it’s important to remember that this is a coach who has experience in taking teams deep into the playoffs. Because of this, it’s not a lot to expect a little more consistency moving forward. But this is where the injury to LaVine may come as a blessing in disguise.

It paves the way for the likes of Coby White and Lauri Markkanen to get more shots and opportunities, possibly alleviating some of the rotation problems Donovan has by simply solving themselves.

At the end of the day, this Chicago Bulls roster, while having some pretty big holes, is more than competent enough to make the playoffs. And even though one of the All-Stars going to miss time, there is still another one to shoulder the load.

It just comes down to whether or not the play from the others around him on both sides of the ball can be consistent enough to propel them into a playoff berth.