3 ways in which Chicago Bulls can line up in the 2021-22 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls made a significant number of roster changes during the NBA offseason. Spending was clearly not an issue, apparent by the signings of of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso to sizeable contracts.
Derrick Jones Jr. was acquired via trade in exchange for Lauri Markkanen to bolster the wing depth of the Chicago Bulls. Nikola Vucevic, who was brought on around the trade deadline last season, now has a full offseason under his belt to acclimate to his new role.
You'd have to go back to the time of MVP-caliber Derrick Rose to find Chicago Bulls lineups with comparable talent levels to ones that will be rolled out there in 2021-22. There's valid reason for excitement in the Windy City, and Billy Donovan will have some work to do to find the most ideal rotations.
Luckily, that's exactly what the beginning of the regular season is for. New teammates will grow an understanding of ideal ways to compliment one another in due time. Here are three lineups I am intrigued to see the Chicago Bulls utilize in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#3 The likely starting five
Basic, I know. But how can you not be excited about what the starting five will probably be for the Chicago Bulls this season? That lineup includes Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic.
Zach LaVine has never played with this amount of talent around him, and can now share some of the offensive burden with more than capable playmakers.
You can already ink in some highlight level Lonzo Ball lobs to Zach LaVine in transition. DeMar DeRozan took a significant leap in his passing ability throughout his time with the San Antonio Spurs and still possesses his deadly mid-range.
Patrick Williams has untapped potential off the bounce and should display some expected growth after being one of the youngest rookies in the league last season at 19 years old.
Nikola Vucevic has shown he can consistently do anything and everything on the offensive end. If things go as planned, this will be the first time in his career where he is gifted with open catch-and-shoot opportunities with less self creation responsibility.
Point being, the offensive versatility of this lineup is ridiculous. Spacing, self-creation, playmaking for others, penetrating, post-up options - it's all there. The defense may need to come along with time, but the idea here is to outscore the opposition.