Breaking Down Chicago Bulls' Shooting Guard Position for 2014-15 Season

The Chicago Bulls’ shooting guard depth in 2013-14 can be summarized swiftly: Jimmy Butler.

The defensive maniac, a spirit animal of coach Tom Thibodeau, tied Carmelo Anthony for most minutes played per game last season, averaging 38.7. After the team traded Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mike Dunleavy entered the starting lineup at small forward, the Bulls were left with little recourse at 2-guard.

Rookie Tony Snell occasionally relieved Butler, but he was raw and unready for heavy lifting, and Thibodeau is not known to trust rookies too much in game time. He prefers to develop them in practices and hand them the reins as sophomores.

Snell should be ready for more work this year, but he won’t be the only source of extra help for Butler. The Bulls added depth across the board this summer, so Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich should both be able to shift around to the shooting guard spot at various times, as they’ll be less responsible for covering their traditional positions. Rookie Doug McDermott may also get some time at the 2.

In any circumstance, the Bulls need more offense from the position. Butler struggled mightily with his shot last year, shooting just 40 percent from the field with a dismal mark of 29 percent from behind the three-point arc.

Butler’s figures were a much better 47 and 38 percent in 2012-13, when the Bulls had a few extra offensive weapons. Optimistic fans can hope that Butler’s numbers jump back up with the extra spacing this new roster offers.

There’s little doubt that Thibodeau will continue to lean hard on Butler, however. He earned a slot on the All-Defensive Second Team last year, which was no fluke. Under his coach’s tutelage, Butler’s become one of the better perimeter stoppers in the game.

Hinrich and Dunleavy’s veteran awareness means Thibodeau can occasionally trust them with similar duties at the 2, but Snell and McDermott are less likely to be called upon as reliable defenders.

This hits us with the most unfortunate truth of the Bulls’ 2-guard assemblage: They’re lacking in two-way players. Unlike the Bulls’ frontcourt, the backcourt is not a deep reservoir of versatile talent. Next to Derrick Rose, the team will have to mix and match defenders and scorers according to its opponent.

This is, of course, so long as trends hold in 2014-15. A spike in Butler’s offensive production or major improvements from Snell are both potential developments. Dunleavy and Hinrich have both been in the league for over a decade, so it’s fairly safe to say we know who they are and what they’ll bring to the table this year and that neither will turn into Rose’s long-yearned-for ideal backcourt partner.

Snell and Butler both still have that hope. So does McDermott, but it’s not likely he’ll see a ton of the floor this season. As noted by ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell, Thibodeau has recently suggested that his rotation will only go nine deep, and Taj Gibson and Hinrich are both locks to come off the bench behind Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah.

That leaves two spots between Snell, McDermott, Aaron Brooks, Nazr Mohammed and Nikola Mirotic. As a rookie without the innate foot speed and athleticism to excel as an NBA defender, McDermott would seem to be one of the odd men out in his coach’s rotation—regardless of how well he can shoot the ball.

While “McBuckets” is a great addition to the Bulls’ roster, he may not get his chance to shine until 2015-16. Thibodeau treats every part of the season like it’s the playoffs and doesn’t hand that level of pressure to rookies often.

But, frustrating as it may be to Bulls fans to see Chicago draft an offensive sensation to what was the worst scoring team in basketball last year, Chicago’s prospects are still looking up at the shooting guard spot. Its added potency overall means Butler and Snell—and Dunleavy and Hinrich at times—can take an extra moment with their jump shots, benefiting from the double-teams Rose and Gasol are both capable of drawing.

While it's too early to tell exactly what the Bulls' depth chart will look like—especially since injuries can always turn the tables—Thibodeau has his habits. The coach's principles insist that we'll see a lot of the guys he knows and trusts while he develops his younger talent in the margins. Expect to see more of the same program of internal development from the Bulls at shooting guard this year.