Chicago Bulls: 3 Adjustments Tom Thibodeau Still Needs to Make

The Chicago Bulls have jumped out to one of the best records in the league to start the season, currently sitting at 8-2 after a win against Detroit last night. However, despite the success, the team is still not playing up to its potential. 

Reigning Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau has coached this team very effectively, especially on the defensive end. However, on the offensive end, Thibs has options to try and make the team play more coherently. 

Here are three options: 

Play the Bench Mob More

If you do not count the game where the Bulls blew out the Grizzlies and the game where the Hawks blew out the Bulls, Luol Deng is averaging a ridiculous 40.6 minutes per game this season. There is no reason that Deng should play so many minutes a night when there are so many suitable players on the bench who can give him a breather. 

The Bench Mob rotation last season was one of the biggest reasons that the Bulls finished with the best record in the NBA. They finished last season as the best defensive five-man rotation in basketball, and they were key in getting the Bulls back into games. With a condensed 66-game season, you would expect the Bench Mob to get more minutes.

So far this season, that has not happened. C.J Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver and Taj Gibson are all averaging less minutes than last year so far this season. The only player averaging more minutes this season is Omer Asik, and that is only because Joakim Noah has been in foul trouble this season.

The Bench Mob is an advantage that the Bulls have; Thibs should use it. 

Shake Up the Big Man Lineups

Ever since they teamed up, it has been clear that Boozer and Noah just do not complement each other well. Why that is remains uncertain, but it is far too clear that it's the truth. Because of this, it may be worth it to try switching things around a little bit. 

The Bulls have two starting quality big men playing on their bench: Omer Asik and Taj Gibson. Those two players have different skill sets from Noah and Boozer, so they may be able to complement the other two better. 

Carlos Boozer, for example, has played much of his career as a high post player but has been forced to become a low post player since Joakim Noah plays more high post. If Boozer was moved to the second rotation and played high post next to Omer Asik's low post, he could be a pick and roll player and a high post passer, two games that play well to his strengths. So perhaps, at least in spurts, we should see Boozer and Gibson switch places in the rotation. 

It may seem like a waste to have a player making so much money come off the bench, and in a way it is. However, since Boozer is on the Bulls to stay, we should try to put him in a position where he can succeed. This doesn't have to be a lineup we use every night, but Thibs should try it. 

Play Jimmy Butler

Even though he was the last pick of the first round of last year's draft, Bulls' rookie Jimmy Butler has impressed in limited minutes. In his 22 career minutes, Butler has 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line, and six rebounds. While those numbers are obviously in garbage time, they are still quite impressive for a player with such little experience. There is no doubt that the talent is there. 

Especially with Rip Hamilton being out and Ronnie Brewer being moved into the starting lineup, Jimmy Butler should get way more opportunity to play meaningful minutes. Take for example a game like the first game against Detroit earlier in the season. Even though the lead only hovered around 15 points, it was clear the game was over. However, Derrick Rose remained on the floor.

These would have been perfect minutes for Jimmy Butler. Even if he is not ready to contribute truly this season, he should get to play next to Derrick Rose in a real game situation so that he can begin to learn Derrick's tendencies and how to play off of him more effectively. Rose is going to be around for a long, long time, so it would be beneficial for Butler to learn to play next to Rose if he intends on staying.