Chicago Bulls: 2 Billy Donovan lineup tweaks vs Wizards that made big difference

It’s no secret that the Chicago Bulls role players have been struggling since the All-Star break. In each loss during the month of March, the Bulls role players were outscored and the Bulls stars’ were worn down by the middle of the fourth quarter.

Head coach Billy Donovan took the blame early in March, saying that he needed to better prepare his personnel. Since then, he has been searching for ways to better incorporate and enable his role players, who, up until Tuesday night, were utilized in the offense less than 15% of the time.

There was clear catch-22 when it came to making this a reality, though. The players who are capable scorers are defensive liabilities — particularly Coby White. On the other hand, the players who can lock up defensively are offensively challenged — specifically Javonte Green. Donovan has tried to find the silver lining through most of March, and even inserted Alex Caruso to the starting lineup this past week.

Now, Donovan may have stuck gold with these two lineup tweaks he made against the Washington Wizards.

Putting Nikola Vucevic to the bench early for Patrick Williams gave the team life

This was the first change to the rotations that Donovan implemented on Tuesday night. Vucevic is usually replaced by Thompson for short stints and starts each quarter. Instead, his first sub came at the end of the quarter (it was Patrick Williams) and Vucevic wasn’t put back in until the nine-minute mark of the second quarter.

This can easily be a one-game thing because Washington’s big man Kristaps Porzingis typically plays on the perimeter, making him a doable matchup for a smaller unit. Either way, the change proved to work as the Bulls defense shut the Wizards down in the first quarter, building a 10-point lead. More importantly, Williams was active on the offensive end, making timely cuts and getting the team extra possessions.

This change also saved Vucevic’s legs, which has been a problem in late-game situations. He had more lift as the game progressed, as seen in his jump shot. Throughout March, Vucevic has seemed tired as games have progressed and has gotten out-hustled by opposing bigs. It’s normal for players’ bodies to get worn down towards the end of the regular season, but Chicago has a very small margin for error with so few games left.

While the switch-up was minor and gave Vucevic two extra minutes of rest than he’s been getting, it proved to be a boost the team needed as he had a big night on the offensive end.

Billy Donovan tweaking the Bulls’ closing lineup sealed the game

Chicago has been existing in this weird realm of being a good fourth-quarter team on paper but not being a good fourth-quarter team in terms of winning. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have been able to get buckets in the final quarter, with DeRozan even been revered as the “Fourth Quarter King.” But the duo hasn’t been able to will the team to wins in the final minutes of close games.

That’s because teams have started to use their version of hero ball against them. When defenses know that one or two guys are going to have the ball and attempt to get downhill for a layup or a mid-range shot, it’s not that hard to defend. The “Bulls Blueprint” of baiting the two guards into traps has shown that LaVine and DeRozan either aren’t the best passers or that they aren’t the most willing passers. Both options are troubling.

On Tuesday night, Donovan put another ball-handler out there in White to help create for the Bulls’ star guards and deter teams from trapping them downhill. Adding White spaced the floor, creating open gaps for cuts and drives. The changed proved to work, as the dagger 3-pointer came off of a White drive and kick.

One game isn’t enough of a sample size to say that Chicago’s role player issues are solved — especially with that game being against the Wizards. It is enough to say, however, that Donovan is moving in the right direction in terms of adjusting to his team’s needs, even when it goes against his own philosophy.

The Bulls’ next game against the Los Angeles Clippers will be a test for the new lineups and the team overall, as LA plays high-intensity defense and has an All-NBA caliber guard in Paul George ready to feast upon his return from injury.