The biggest weakness of the Chicago Bulls heading into the 2021-22 NBA Season
The Chicago Bulls have had a busy and productive off-season, bringing in players such as Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan to play alongside the likes of Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic.
The Bulls starting five is now a fearsome prospect for teams residing in the Eastern Conference. Having missed out on both the playoffs and play-in tournament, the Chicago Bulls have ensured their talent level is enough to almost guarantee a post-season appearance this time around.
However, in a world where the Coronavirus pandemic continually moves the goalposts and players are at an increased likelihood of missing playing time, talent alone isn't going to be enough. It's no coincidence that some of the teams who struggled for health last season disappointed in the playoffs.
And that's where the Chicago Bulls' biggest flaw is - depth, not at every position, but at one particular area of the floor. After essentially giving away Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline in a three-team deal that eventually saw the Chicago Bulls obtain Daniel Theis, JaVonte Green, and Troy Brown Jr., the team failed to find a suitable replacement in free agency.
When looking at the center rotation for the Chicago Bulls, there's a pretty clear drop-off in talent when Vucevic heads to the bench. Tony Bradley and Marko Simonovic are the players tasked with filling the hole left by Gafford and now Theis.
Despite the improvements made on the wings and the perimeter, the center position projects an area of contention for Chicago Bulls fans next year. In the current era of the NBA, reliable big-men are ten-a-penny, with only a select few capable of commanding large-scale salaries.
Nikola Vucevic's skillset is perfect for what the Bulls are trying to achieve; his ability to operate beyond the three-point line, offer playmaking through screen and hand-off actions, and dominate the low block will ensure the Chicago Bulls offense is as unpredictable as it is potent. But when Vucevic goes to the bench, the entire gameplan will have to change.
Bradley hasn't shown anything that would suggest he's going to step into a perimeter-based role this season, and Simonovic is a complete unknown at this level; it's also unfair to expect any major impact from a mid-second-round pick.
Perhaps Billy Donovan will explore Derrick Jones Jr in a small ball five roles, hoping he has a similar impact to Bruce Brown Jr in Brooklyn, but that is a huge ask.
Throughout his 26 games in a Chicago Bulls uniform, Nikola Vucevic averaged 32.6 minutes per game, which would leave the backup centers 11.8 minutes of game time. Sure, there's a world where Bradley can sustain small stints at the five without being a detriment to the team. Heck, he could even be a net-positive during those stretches.
But what happens if Vucevic gets into foul trouble? Or misses games due to sickness/injury? The loss of Daniel Theis is one of the most understated downgrades of the summer.
Theis might not be an elite center, nor is he a household name or potential All-Star candidate. But the former Boston Celtics center is an incredibly versatile big man. Theis is a crafty good screener and made a living sealing off driving lanes for the Celtics slashing wings during the 2019-20 season; he's also a threat on short-rolls and commands a modicum of attention on the perimeter.
The big-man rotations of Vucevic, Theis and Bradley would have been both deep and versatile enough to sustain the rigors of an NBA season. Alas, Theis is now plying his trade in H-Town for the Houston Rockets, and the Bulls are living behind a bravado created by their premier guard and wing acquisitions.
Of course, all of this could be rectified via a trade or free-agent acquisition. I mean, DeMarcus Cousins is still available and could be exactly what the Chicago Bulls need in short bursts. Or, Donovan and the front office may have faith that Bradley can take a step in his development this year and lock down the backup role for multiple seasons to come.
Regardless of what the future holds for the Chicago Bulls center rotation heading into the season, the position is to keep an eye on. Sure, the Bulls are a far sterner proposition to the one that failed to make the post-season last year, but there's a clear need at that position, and their season could depend on how the front-office addresses that need.