5 bold Bulls predictions for the 2020-21 NBA season
Just over nine months is a long time between NBA games. When idle, the mind can drift towards odd and sometimes extreme thoughts. And thus, with this bevy of optimism surrounding the Bulls comes these five bold predictions.We really believe them -- until we don’t:
The mild-mannered Finn’s season-long swoon and accompanying injury issues stood out as a major storyline from last season.
But the piling on has become a bit extreme. Markkanen hit these averages during his strong sophomore season in which he averaged 18.7 points and nine rebounds. Perhaps not coincidentally, his usage checked in at a career-high 25.1 percent. That’s four percentage points higher than last season’s career-low 21.1 percent.
The thinking here is that Billy Donovan establishes a more egalitarian offensive system that features more ball and player movement and less isolation, an area in which Markkanen doesn’t necessarily shine either.
Speaking of more egalitarian offense, Carter projects to own a more prominent role if last season’s Thunder team is any indication. Utilizing a three-guard, pick-and-roll heavy scheme, Billy Donovan unleashed the passing ability of Steven Adams, who since has been dealt to the Pelicans.
Adams’ assists average jumped from 1.6 the previous season to a career-high 2.3 last year -- he was one of just five centers to average at least two per game. Of course, the leader was the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, whom executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas played an instrumental role in bringing to Denver.
Both Donovan and Karnišovas like versatile big men, and all the predraft comps for Carter landed on Al Horford. That’s another mobile big who has averaged 3.3 assists in his career.
It may seem hard to believe given Porter’s unreliability since coming to the Bulls from the Wizards -- he’s appeared in just 29 of a possible 93 games since the trade -- but over a four-season stretch in Washington, Porter played in at least 74 games each season. He averaged 76.6 games in that span. He’s still only 27 years old.
When healthy, Porter’s presence completely changes the Bulls’ complexion at both ends. He’s a career 40 percent 3-point shooter who spaces the floor because he makes defenses honest and is also a solid team defender. Plus, he’s in a contract year. He needs to be on the floor, and the Bulls need him to be as well.
So you’re thinking, “No big deal,” right? Well, it is given that this award is annually one of the most difficult to judge and packed with deserving candidates.
Think about this: Donovan finished third last season with four first-, 28 second- and 30 third-place votes. Before then, he only had registered a single vote -- a third-place vote in his first season in 2015-16 -- during his five seasons in Oklahoma City.
If the above bold predictions are to be true, Donovan and his staff will have a lot to do with it. From the moment Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley aggressively pursued him, this has felt like the right fit. Donovan has a chance to shine.
Again, perhaps this is no great shakes since all you have to do now for a chance at the postseason is carve out one of your conference’s top-10 records. But the Eastern Conference improved significantly. You can rattle off teams pretty quickly -- Bucks, Heat, Celtics, Raptors, Nets, 76ers, Pacers, Magic, Hawks, maybe the Wizards? -- before you get to the Bulls. The Hornets might have something to say about that too.
But it says here the Bulls finish 10th, and face the Hawks at some point in the play-in tournament. And then (from the eager, young mind of NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer), they’ll lose on a Kris Dunn desperation 3-pointer that hangs on the rim like Kawhi Leonard’s once did. Hey, we said these would be bold.
