The addition of Cameron Payne gives the Bucks a more complete roster, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. New coach Adrian Griffin doesn’t have to get create with the backup point guard spot behind Damian Lillard, as Payne projects to fill that role ably.
The Bucks have other point guard options on two-way contracts in TyTy Washington and Lindell Wigginton, but their 15-man roster hadn’t included a backup point guard in recent months.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Uncovering how Monty Williams plans to utilize Joe Harris and whether Killian Hayes and James Wiseman — lottery picks not signed beyond this season — can establish roles are a couple of the training camp questions looming for the Pistons, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes.
- It seems as if every season is pivotal for Bulls forward Patrick Williams and this one is no different, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times opines. Williams played in every game in 2022/23 and has shown he can be a difference-maker defensively. He also shot 41.5% from 3-point range last season. However, his overall offensive contributions and rebounding are still not up to par, Cowley writes.
- The battle between Coby White and newcomer Jevon Carter for minutes at the point is just one of the training camp questions looming for the Bulls, Cowley writes in a separate story. Torrey Craig could also push Williams for minutes, given his superior rebounding numbers.
- K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago concurs that the Bulls‘ starting jobs at point guard and power forward are up for grabs with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević the only surefire starters.
Williams is a SF. And that’s all he should do. He will be a solid 2way guy. With his offense improving yearly. Just leave the guy alone there.
Bulls should move DeR. His contract is up this yr. Get younger around Zach.
Still like Wiseman. His best is yet to come. Duren and Wiseman are solid young bigs. Pistons might have to move one of them. I think Hayes gets moved. He needs a yr in G-league. Help the guy …….
Pistons will fight for the playoffs …….
Those are all good points.
I mean, the Bulls actually have to play Williams at the 3 before we can say that. They seem dead-set on using him as an undersized 4, which he can’t do full-time. I don’t mind using him there in spot minutes or in specific lineups, but he’s not a 4.
The team needs to give him an actual offensive role. They shouldn’t feed him the ball or anything, but he needs to have a defined position in the offense. Not just occasional spot-ups or “stand in the corner and catch and shoot” they way the Bulls seem determined to use bigs/wings they aren’t 100% on.
They did the same crap with Markkanen, and look how that turned out…
Honestly, the Bulls still seem like they’re coached by Boylen in a lot of ways.
As for Wiseman, I think he ends up getting moved at some point. The Pistons have to be all-in on Duren as their 5. I think he can Detroit’s Bam Adebayo. Defensive anchor who can attack the rim in every way possible and set up teammates. No need for trying to forcibly develop a jumper. He’s so good at rim running even as young as he is.
Wiseman has honest potential, but I feel like Detroit is too far along in their rebuild and too crowded in the frontcourt to give him the full developmental attention he needs or deserves. Maybe the Wizards should try and get him when they start selling off some of their moveable assets.
Also, before anyone starts the “Duren’s too small hurr durr” he’s the same size as Anthony Davis and Clint Capela with room to grow. The dude can handle the 5.
EDIT: Also, pistons, not bulls lol. Too much writing about P-will.
They effectively have used him as a 3, at least where the designation has any real meaning (the defensive end). DeRozan hasn’t covered quality wing players for years. When Williams isn’t in the lineup, he’s replaced by a wing defender. He missed most of his second season, so this isn’t ambiguous.
The issue for Williams (and I’m a fan) is offensive role; there really isn’t any left for him after their big 3 consume not just shots, but shot clock minutes and areas of the floor. Grimes has a similar issue with the NYK. Both are reticient offensively, and both staffs want more aggressiveness, but until the mix is altered, it can only really change on the margin. Only veteran NBA scorers can consistently be aggressive in sound bites.
Honestly, he needs to be used more as a cutter, and as a mover off-ball. Even as a screen. ANYTHING. You mention Grimes and while that’s a decent comp, Grimes is a good cutter and screener, and gets into good positions consistently. He’s about maxed out. Williams made a cut on 7.4% of his possessions last season, despite being quite solid at them. That needs to change. He should also be used more on quick posts against smaller players, or to hit cutters or shooters from the high post. He and LaVine have a very nice 2-man game, but the Bulls never run it.
His defensive assignment just means that the Bulls effectively have no 4, honestly. Williams has to play both spots, or Vuc does, and neither of them is capable of it. I like DDR, but he’s a defensive liability anywhere. The only thing he dies that’s 4-esque is draw charges. I would almost rather they play him at the point and get the most out of his playmaking.
The thing with the Bulls is that they’re a defensive team in terms of production (5th in DRating this past season, 24th in ORating), but with offense-oriented players. Pick one or the other. Or at least lean into their strengths.
CHI is a defensive team by design. The only offensive oriented (i.e., poor defensive) players are LaVine and DeRozan. No, Vuc is not a poor defender (other than on message boards, where he’s horrible). This should be obvious since no team with totally uninterested wing defenders and a poor defensive C could ever be even top 10 in team defense, regardless of the defensive strength on their bench.
Vuc has very weak contest numbers and contest results. The only place where he’s not below-average in that regard is defending 3pt attempts. He’s an elite rebounder, so he does cut short offensive possessions, but he’s still not a good individual defender. Maybe his defense isn’t captured by the obvious numbers, but he’s FAR from a defensive mainstay in the middle. What the Bulls do is they switch frequently, forcing mismatches non-stop to try and limit bad results, and/or try and force iso’s they can easily help on. They run an elite defensive *system*, but their personnel are not elite.
My point with Williams is nobody has any doubt that he can play the 3 based on his current usage. Not whether CHI has a true 4 or not.
On usage, I think you’re looking down the wrong end of the telescope, and aggrevating it by trying to extrapolate possible results from success/fail rates on very low volume. At the highest levels of the sport, shot distribution is largely determined by the players on the floor, organically, not pre-determined by the coaching staff. That’s true on even on set plays. Low volume is low volume for a reason. Over 3 years, the reasons are good ones, and they’re unlikely to change without a change in the chemistry on the floor (which is not just about one guy).
I don’t doubt that he can, just that the Bulls are willing to do so. That’s not what I said.
I’m not looking at success or failure of his plays, just the frequency at which he’s used for them. And he has a lot of plays he *could* do better, but just doesn’t because he either doesn’t attempt to making himself available, or is marginalized by the coaching staff, the players on the floor, or both. P-Will on offense does a *lot* of standing around when he shouldn’t be. The staff or his teammates need to do better at getting him out of the catch-and-shoot only mindset, because even then, that doesn’t mean stationary.
And while there are on-floor adjustments that the players make during the course of the games, the coaching staff are the ones that put players into the positions for success. And the Bulls have a long history of failure where that is concerned.
Wiseman and Hayes for Gafford, Shamet and picks
Bulls and Raptors are two teams that should blow it up if they are in that play in section.
Sadly, neither one looks like they will. Reinsdorf doesn’t believe in blowing things up, and Masai Ujiri has become allergic to trades or something.
Pistons need Cade to be healthy. He isn’t a big name yet and Detroit is a smaller market. Few are going to be like he is an injury prone guy. They have an all in coach now, so it is now or never for him to make a leap of sorts.
Bulls suck and need to tear it down and start a rebuild which has been the case for months now.
Start with DeMare DeRozan, he’s the oldest on and expiring deal. Throw Torrey Craig into the SF position for now and by doing that I’d start Coby White at PG.
LaVine first option, Vuce second, Coby and Pat 3rd and 4th with Craig just a corner shooter.
Defensively White is tall and long, Craig is solid and Pat is solid. Because your so now a much younger side you’d look to okay faster and you have good spacing. Wouldn’t mind seeing Vuce used more like a point centre, Nikola Jokic, creating out of the post for shooters and cutters.
Desperately need to add forwards really I’d go to Detroit who have been rumoured to be trying to trim the roster down. DeRozan and Drummond for Bagley Wiseman, Burks and 2 seconds.
Bulls
White LaVine Craig Williams Vuce
Carter Caruso Burks Bagley Wiseman
By trading for Wiseman your already prepping yourself for a Vuce trade if something arises.
Whereas Detroit gets a solid veteran leader in DeRozan although not a perfect fit, doesn’t really cost the pistons much they have plenty of bigs.
Pistons
Cade Ivey DeRozan Stewart Duren
Morris Thompson Brogdan Livers Drummond
Ofcourse there’s still Hayes Sasser and Harris.
DeMare would be such a good mentor for Cade, Ivey and Thompson. Then ofcourse Drummond returning back would be huge for the city but also huge for helping Duren and Stewart.