Who the Heck is the Chicago Bulls Starting Point Guard?
After the Chicago Bulls deny all those Zach LaVine trade rumors — and drop “continuity” more times than we can count at Media Day — training camp officially will begin on Oct. 3!
The organization is taking its talents to Nashville, Tennessee for the first five days of preparation. They’ll then face the Milwaukee Bucks in their initial preseason game on Oct. 8 before returning to the Madhouse on Madison to continue camp.
Overall, the Chicago Bulls will have 23 days to gear up for the start of the regular season. And while the roster may look nearly identical to last year’s group, there will still be some pivotal questions to answer over those 23 days. With that in mind, I thought we’d go over a few of these burning questions in the days leading up to training camp.
Beginning with …
Who’s the Chicago Bulls Starting Point Guard?
From Rajon Rondo to Kris Dunn to Tomas Satoransky to Coby White to Lonzo Ball to … ?
For what feels like the millionth year, the Chicago Bulls will walk into another season without a clear long-term answer at point guard. While they thought they found their solution in Ball two offseasons ago, the 25-year-old’s knee had other plans. Now, they’re going back to the drawing board with a deep pool of guards but no obvious choice for the role of lead facilitator.
Indeed, the Bulls have several players on the roster who have filled in at the position in the past. Unfortunately, none can be deemed the most traditional distributor. Neither can they check all the boxes that Ball did during his short successful stint with the team. This is why training camp will prove so important. Head coach Billy Donovan will have to determine who best fits next to his core trio, as well as what rotation can most closely resemble the production they received from Ball.
I think the easiest way to have this conversation is to go player by player, so let’s start with the guy who has been in Chicago the longest.
Coby White
For those who have kept up with BN Bulls over the offseason, you know my thoughts on starting Coby White. In my opinion, the 24-year-old guard is still best suited as a sparkplug off the bench.
White has been an incredibly talented scorer since entering the league, and I’d like to see him have the freedom to hunt his shot more with the second unit. The Bulls’ bench averaged the 7th-fewest points per game last season. To be sure, this number is always going to be a bit low due to how heavily the offense leans on its core 3, but you’d still like to see a more balanced scoring attack after finishing 24th in offensive rating. And Coby White is probably the team’s best bet to help promote just that.
Not to mention, I just like the idea of White helping the second unit run a more uptempo attack. Perhaps we see the Bulls stagger guys like Patrick Williams and/or Zach LaVine, as well, giving the Bulls a quick and athletic lineup that can serve as a nice change of pace from when DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic are on the floor.
If there is a case to be made for White to enter the starting lineup, however, it likely starts with his progress last year. The young guard didn’t receive a fresh three-year, $36 million deal for nothing. White made significant strides on the defensive end, making him far less of a liability next to two subpar defenders in LaVine and DeRozan.
Likewise, his improvements in the ball-handling department passed the eye test. He averaged a career-best 2.76 AST/TOV ratio and played with a court vision we hadn’t quite seen yet. Over the last 15 games of the regular season, he averaged nearly 5.0 assists off the bench, including four performances with seven or more dimes. If anyone is entering the season comfortable setting up the Bulls’ core, it would be White.
If White ends up getting the nod from head coach Billy Donovan, I’m not going to argue about it. His recent play has rightfully put him in the mix, and a strong preseason may be all he needs to convince us he’s ready for the job. Again, I still think he’s best suited as somebody Donovan can be flexible with off the bench, but I’m willing to see what he can do.
Jevon Carter
If you’re not leaning toward Coby White, then you’re likely leaning toward Jevon Carter. The Chicago Bulls signed the point guard to a surprisingly cost-effective three-year, $19.5 million deal. He is fresh off a career season with the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he averaged 8.0 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Look, I know those numbers don’t jump off the page. But Carter is another one of those guys who consistently passes the eye test. Not to mention, those stats came over roughly 22 minutes per game, so his per 36 averages (12.9 ppg, 3.9 ast, 4.0 reb, 1.3 stl) fall closer in line with the player we saw on a nightly basis in Milwaukee.
Carter comes to the Chicago Bulls with plenty of experience playing alongside high-level talent. He understands how to fit in and how to help keep the offense in motion. Even better, Carter would provide a level of 3-point shooting that the starting lineup desperately needs. Carter is a 39.7 percent shooter from downtown in his career and is coming off shooting 42.1 percent on 4.2 attempts per game (both of which are career highs). There is a very good chance that – outside of Zach LaVine – Carter proves to be this team’s best and most consistent long-range threat this season.
What really sets Carter apart from the rest of the Bulls’ options, however, is that he can couple his efficient 3-point shotmaking with top-notch perimeter defense. Carter finished with a +1.3 Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus last season, which ranked in the NBA’s 88th percentile, per Dunks & Threes. The Bulls started to build a respected reputation on the defense end last season, and Carter will only further enhance that. To be sure, he may not be the most versatile defender at just six-foot-one, but he’s repeatedly shown he has the on-ball chops to stay in front of even the most talented guards.
Jevon Carter was on the short list of the best on-ball defenders in the league last year. His ball pressure is palpable. pic.twitter.com/HhkBVlsDkJ— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) September 11, 2023
At the end of the day, his combination of efficient 3-point shooting and junk-dog defense arguably most closely resembles what Ball brought to the floor. I just love the idea of him helping the first unit turn defense into offense, and I really think that ability alone could be what ends up winning him the starting spot.
Alex Caruso
As great as Alex Caruso has played over the past two seasons, head coach Billy Donovan has made an obvious effort to keep part of the second unit. And I don’t suspect that to change this season.
Caruso is the ultimate defensive Swiss Army Knife. We’ve seen him guard positions 1-4 with relative ease, and he is the primary reason the Chicago Bulls finished with the 5th-best defense in the NBA last season. Having said that, with how much energy he exerts on that end of the floor, it’s no surprise that the Bulls have liked to carefully manage his minutes.
The argument for him to earn the starting point guard spot obviously starts with his All-Defensive First Team play. He also is the kind of player who does all those little things around the stars. He’ll dive on the floor for a loose ball, cut hard toward the room, and fly in for the occasional offensive rebound. Still, the last thing the Bulls want to do is have Caruso waste too much time focusing on setting up the offense. They want him to be a dominant defensive anchor, so I simply don’t suspect we see him tasked with the starting point guard role.
Plus, for what it’s worth, he just isn’t a consistent enough shooter. Having another above-average shooter like White or Carter next to the “Big 3” feels crucial.
Ayo Dosunmu
If we’re being honest, I think Ayo Dosunmu probably deserves a greater chance than he’ll get to prove he can handle the starting point guard spot. We shouldn’t underestimate experience, and Dosunmu has started 91 of his 157 games for the Chicago Bulls over his first two seasons in the NBA.
Let’s not forget how well he played during his rookie campaign. Once Ball went down, Dosunmu proved to be arguably the best option at the point guard position, averaging 11.0 points and 5.2 assists over his final 41 games of the season. Now, did he hit a wall last year? Yup. But how do we know that wasn’t just a sophomore slump? NBA teams will always adjust to you, and we now have to see if Dosunmu can make his own adjustments.
If the catch-and-shoot 3-ball begins to fall again and the halfcourt ball-handling can improve, Dosunmu could become a darkhorse candidate again to steal the job. This is especially true when we consider he is a solid defender and one heck of a weapon in the fastbreak. He’ll be on the outside looking in to start training camp, but I wouldn’t take your eye off him just yet.
