Chicago Bulls’ replacements for Ryan Arcidiacono: Frank Ntilikina
Each of the three potential free agent replacement guards that the Bulls could pursue this summer for Arch’s spot in the rotation comes with a different approach to filling needs for Donovan. Monk comes with the idea that the Bulls could let both Valentine and Arch walk, and more effectively have one guard be a spark in this backcourt unit.
Hart could be one of the more versatile and well-rounded guards that the Bulls could sign this offseason. And then the last name on this list, New York Knicks defensive stopper point guard Frank Ntilikina, could be a gem find for the Bulls in a unique way too.
We’ve tabbed “Frankie Smokes” before as a very solid point guard target that the Bulls could buy low on this summer and immediately upgrade this team’s perimeter defense. A lot of the holes exposed in Donovan’s defensive scheme last season with the likes of star shooting guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic’s shortcomings could be plugged by adding Ntilikina.
As Ntilikina tries to help France make a special run in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, right now, the Bulls could be looking into pursuing him in free agency this summer. It’s pretty clear at this point that former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks don’t value him in their rotation.
Ntilikina is one of the best on and off-ball defensive guards in the NBA in this day and age. And he shot an insane 48 percent from beyond the arc roughly last season. That three-point shooting percentage for Ntilikina might not hold up for many more seasons, but it proves that he can also provide offensive value in bits and pieces.