Bench Role Won't Prevent Taj Gibson from Making Major Impact for Chicago Bulls
Taj Gibson doesn't need a starting spot to play a starring role for the Chicago Bulls.
That was the case when the versatile big man helped the franchise survive another (largely) Derrick Rose-less campaign last season, and it hasn't changed despite the massive influx of talent around him this year.
After posting career marks nearly across the board in 2013-14—including points (13.0), assists (1.1), field-goal attempts (10.9) and win shares (5.7)—Gibson appeared as if he may have grown out of his reserve part. There was even a report out that he felt the same way.
"Privately, Gibson isn’t too thrilled with the prospect of continuing to be a reserve, according to multiple people familiar with the situation," reported Comcast SportsNet's Aggrey Sam, "but the upbeat, team-first player values winning and chemistry too much to make it an issue or distraction."
According to Gibson, though, he's more than happy to reprise the sixth-man role that nearly netted him some individual hardware last season:
His sentiment isn't hard to follow.
Despite making only eight starts last season, Gibson was able to establish himself as a difference-making member of Chicago's interior. A strong defender, underrated scorer and relentless rebounder, he became an indispensable piece of coach Tom Thibodeau's closing lineup.
Gibson's insatiable energy is the first part of his game that catches the eye, but as Thibodeau told Bulls.com's Sam Smith, the 29-year-old hits the hardwood with a well-rounded skill set:
"Some people may view him as more a defensive player, but there’s so much more to him than that. If you look statistically at what he did in the fourth quarter, he was our most efficient player in the fourth quarter, shooting a very high percentage, second highest scorer, very good back to the basket, facing up from 17 feet, running the floor, second shots. He’s really become a complete player.
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Defensively, Gibson is among the NBA's most intimidating interior presences.
He finished last season ranked 13th in total blocks (112), despite seeing only 28.7 minutes a night. And he contested even more shots than he sent away. Of the 75 players who faced at least five shots at the rim per game, he had the eighth-lowest field-goal percentage against on those attempts (44.9), via NBA.com's SportVU player tracking data.
To put that second number in better perspective, Gibson's opponents found less success at the rim against him than they did against Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah (47.2), blocks leader Serge Ibaka (45.0) and five-time All-Defensive team selection Dwight Howard (48.1).
Even with four-time All-Star Pau Gasol and decorated rookie Nikola Mirotic added to Chicago's frontcourt equation, Gibson should not be hurting for playing time.
With the defensive-minded Thibodeau at the helm, Gibson's commitment to that end of the floor will make him tough to sit. He held opposing 4s to a well-below-average 13.2 player efficiency rating last season, via 82games.com, a significantly lower number than power forwards produced against the 34-year-old Gasol (23.8).
As teams continue leaning heavily on pick-and-roll offense, Gibson's gift for stifling that attack is invaluable. He held opposing screeners to a paltry 37.5 percent shooting, via Synergy Sports (subscription required), and yielded only a 37.7 percent conversion rate to spot-up shooters, a remarkable number considering the ground he must cover to rotate out to a gunner.
The Bulls should be a dramatically improved offensive club, between the additions of Gasol, Mirotic and fellow rookie Doug McDermott, along with the return of a hopefully healthy Rose. Still, it's not as if this team will abandon its defensive identity. Not after three top-two finishes in defensive efficiency over the last four seasons.
If Thibodeau is thinking defense—and he always is—then he'll be thinking about Gibson early and often.
Still, it wouldn't be right to label Gibson as a defensive specialist. Not with the tremendous strides he's made at the opposite side.
He has the athleticism to rent a room above the rim, but as Comcast SportsNet's Mark Strotman explained, Gibson saw rare simultaneous improvements in quantity and quality as a jump-shooter last season:
"He attempted 384 shots between 10 feet and the 3-point line - per basketball-reference.com - which for this article we'll assume were all jump shots. Those 384 attempts were more than his 2012 and 2013 attempts from the same area combined (357), which in most cases would mean a less efficient area of Gibson's game (more attempts, percentages naturally go down).
Instead, Gibson was a lights-out jump shooter. He connected on 40.1 percent of his midrange jumpers, up nearly three percentage points from 2013 (37.5 percent on just 189 attempts) and 2012 (37.5 percent on 168 attempts). It was a career-high for Gibson, whose previous best mark was his rookie season (39.7 percent on 269 attempts).
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Essentially, Gibson moved into Gasol's territory as a mid-range shooter.
Gibson attempted 361 shots at a distance between 10 to 19 feet away from the basket, per NBA.com, and converted 39.9 percent of those looks. Gasol attempted 316 such shots and connected on 41.8 percent of them.
Gasol has the scoring edge over Gibson, but the gap between them is a lot closer than their points-per-game averages suggest (17.4 and 13.0, respectively).
| Player | Play | PPP | FG% | Play | PPP | FG% | Play | PPP | FG% |
| Gibson | Post-Up | 0.78 | 41.2 | Spot-Up | 0.95 | 47.8 | Cut | 1.19 | 59.1 |
| Gasol | Post-Up | 0.83 | 42.2 | Spot-Up | 0.89 | 44.7 | Cut | 1.20 | 60.6 |
This doesn't mean that Gibson is on the same offensive plane as Gasol.
The latter's ability to create offense for himself and his teammates is a weapon the former doesn't have in his arsenal. The Bulls can—and should—tap into Gasol's offensive production as much as they possibly can, particularly with Rose needing to shake off the rust left from two seasons essentially lost to serious knee injuries.
However, it would be foolish to think that Gasol's arrival will bury Gibson on the bench. Thibodeau has major plans for each of his best three bigs.
"I know all three are going to have a significant role," Thibodeau said during an appearance on 87.7 FM The Game's Kap & Haugh Show, via Comcast SportsNet. "I have 96 minutes there and I look at all three of those guys as starters."
Obviously all three can't actually be starters, and it seems likely the less-heralded Gibson will back up his All-Star frontcourt mates.
Still, all three can make a major impact on this team. Gibson will fill the same energetic role he has for the last five seasons in the Windy City, locking down the defensive interior, freeing ball-handlers with solid screens and wreaking havoc on the offensive glass.
For a team that dominates defensively, plays with incredible passion and transforms the art of playing hard from an intangible pursuit into tangible production, Gibson is a pivotal piece of Chicago's puzzle.
He doesn't need a starting gig to validate his importance.
The secret is already out on how good Gibson can be, regardless of where he begins his night.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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