In the last couple of games, the Chicago Bulls have steadily worked small forward Derrick Jones Jr. back into the starting unit. With the absence of second-year forward Patrick Williams now due to a left wrist injury, someone will need to step up and fill the void he left. Williams is an important two-way player to the Bulls’ top unit, and his absence will be felt.
An option that surfaced to at least replace some of what Williams brings to the table is give more minutes to the duo of Jones and shooting guard Javonte Green. And that appears to be the plan that second-year head coach Billy Donovan is rolling with moving forward. That is at least until the Bulls can figure out a more permanent solution.
With Williams likely set to miss the rest of the regular season, Donovan and the Bulls will have to find a permanent solution soon. And that could be just rolling with some combination of Green and Jones to fill the minutes that Williams would play otherwise.
If that type of switch in the rotation works in the next few games for the Bulls, then this might be something worth considering throughout the rest of the regular season. Shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr. is also someone that can play some valuable minutes at the three and/or the four off the bench.
What Jones brings to the table that neither Brown nor Green is able to is the insane physical tools and switchable defending that can cover really any position between the one and the four. Even smaller centers Jones has the capability to defend in a switchable manner.
Get ready for more Derrick Jones Jr. in the mix with Patrick Williams out for the Chicago Bulls
Jones also can get to the rim and draw fouls with certain ease given his inside scoring game and his unbelievable explosiveness.
The main drawback with Jones is the lack of a floor-spacing ability in his game. Jones has missed on his only attempt from beyond the arc this season and he’s less than a 30 percent career shooter from downtown. Meanwhile, Williams is roughly a career 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Even Green and Brown are both more capable three-point shooters than Jones. This is where their value can come in handy with Donovan’s scheme that emphasizes quick ball movement around the perimeter and capable floor spacers sitting out beyond the arc.
Donovan does have a few options to get creative with his lineups. He can play Jones with four other floor spacers (i.e. Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, and Coby White). When the Bulls have someone like DeMar DeRozan out on the floor, though, it might make sense to run small-ball lineups if Jones is also in the mix. Or, just put someone like Brown or Green out on the floor when DeRozan is also in the game.
The fact of the matter is that Jones is too good to not get an increase in minutes with Williams out for a good while. Jones is one of the best and most gifted wing/forward defenders in the NBA. And his physical tools give him an inside scoring and rebounding ability that is hard to match.
Jones put his defending ability on display in the Bulls’ win over the Utah Jazz at home at the United Center on the night of Oct. 30. In just over 18 minutes on the floor, Jones registered three rebounds, three blocks, and one steal. That type of production is why he needs to be out on the floor more from here on out.
Jones and the Bulls are now sporting a record of 5-1 following their big eight-point home win over the Jazz on Oct. 30. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting on the road with the struggling Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Nov. 1.