The Chicago Bulls still have plenty of questions lingering over them after a confusing offseason that left them without a clear direction.
Trading Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic would help, but for now, they are on the roster and the Bulls seem comfortable with that even though the end result might be another team on the fringes of the playoffs.
Assuming LaVine and Vucevic are on the roster, there is a projected starting lineup that makes sense but is certainly not set in stone:
-Josh Giddey
-Coby White
-Zach LaVine
-Patrick Williams
-Nikola Vucevic
A lot could change that would alter this, including trades, some of the bench players outplaying their counterparts or Billy Donovan mixing and matching to get different skillsets on the floor.
Here are three players who will be fighting for spots in the starting lineup and might end up winning them.
Matas Buzelis
Are we sure we should be penciling Patrick Williams into the starting five? He got the big contract this offseason, so it makes sense, but he’s done little to earn that spot and is coming off an injury.
Then there’s the fact that Buzelis was impressive in Summer League and looks like a guy they’ll be building around. If the Bulls want to get that future started now, Buzelis could play his way into the starting five very soon, as he’s already shown he can block shots and is a matchup problem on offense.
Williams is a better 3-point shooter at this point in their respective careers, but Buzelis is more dynamic offensively and can create with the ball in his hands.
This will be one of the best training camp competitions to watch, as Buzelis is confident and isn’t going to just accept that he’s coming off the bench in his rookie season.
Ayo Dosunmu
The starting lineup above would be brutal defensively, so it’s possible we’ll see Dosunmu, the Bulls’ best defender, inserted into the starting five to help. The Bulls have a huge hole to fill with the loss of Alex Caruso, and if their perimeter defense is bad, there won’t be much waiting for teams at the rim.
Dosunmu is already one of the best values in the NBA as a two-way bench guard, but if he has another level offensively, starting him with Coby White and Josh Giddey makes sense, especially if the Bulls end up trading LaVine.
Dosunmu is my dark horse for the Most Improved Player award next season, as he’ll either be starting at some point or playing starter’s minutes off the bench.
If and when the Bulls trade LaVine, Dosunmu should be the biggest beneficiary in minutes and role.
Lonzo Ball
This is the darkest of dark horses, as Ball hasn’t played in over two years and will have to prove he can stay healthy.
For what it’s worth, he claims he will be and will start playing live five-on-five next month.
If Ball is healthy, he’d be another option in the starting five to help improve the 3-point shooting and defense. Ball is the kind of glue guy who can play with any combination of players, so if Donovan wants to balance his units, who knows.
It’s more likely Ball would end up there because of trades or injuries, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him starting at some point next season.
