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Chicago Bulls: 4 free agents that’re better defenders than Garrett Temple

By Andrew Miller

Garrett Temple, Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Garrett Temple, Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Garrett Temple, Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls
Garrett Temple, Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

An area that needs major improvement for the Chicago Bulls this summer is on the defensive end of the floor. Some of the numbers that the Bulls posted defensively in the first year under head coach Billy Donovan weren’t all that bad. But the Bulls still finished in the bottom half of the NBA in defensive rating in the second half of this season, despite finishing the regular season at the top of the league in defensive rebounding percentage.

Posting a defensive rebounding percentage north of 80 is incredible for the Bulls considering some of their occasional defensive lapses. The Bulls had trouble consistently defending, especially on the perimeter. It was not the issue of Bulls players such as veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple, forward Thaddeus Young, shooting guard Javonte Green, etc., that caused the defensive woes.

Younger players such as second-year point guard Coby White, fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen, and even star shooting guard Zach LaVine led to a lot of the defensive woes the Bulls experienced this season. Even the likes of point guard Ryan Arcidiacono and combo guard Tomas Satoransky had defensive ratings north of 113.

Should the Chicago Bulls bring back a veteran like Garrett Temple?

That’s not a good sign for the Bulls if they want to improve their defense heading into next season. But the good news is that there are key areas to improve that the team realistically can upgrade at this summer. Some key players such as Markkanen, Arcidiacono, and Temple are about to become free agents this summer if the front office doesn’t want them back next season.

Temple in particular is one veteran to note that is an impending unrestricted free agent. It seems like it could be a good move for the Bulls to bring him back next season. But if the front office does look elsewhere, it should still be with a guard that is a capable defender.

With that in mind, here’s a look at four potential free agent targets for the Bulls that are better defenders than Temple.