Are the Chicago Bulls Properly Deploying Their Bench Mob so Far?
Few teams have a reserve unit that resembles the depth and talent of the Chicago Bulls bench, but has head coach Tom Thibodeau effectively used that cohort?
Some early-season personnel hiccups have compelled the fifth-year strategist to be a little more reliant on his second string than expected. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are both on a minutes restriction (subscription required); Jimmy Butler had to miss some time convalescing from a thumb sprain.
These initial snags have been weathered due to the number of quality players Thibodeau has at his disposal. All in all, this team is built to do more than just plug holes should certain players have to sit out—it should ensure that the next man up is as good as the one who is down.
Evaluating the usage of the Bulls bench will include consideration of minutes played, statistical contributions and lineup combinations. For the sake of clarity, any five-man grouping that includes at least three reserves will be considered a backup unit.
Thibodeau is already a wizard when it comes to preparation and motivation, but let's take a closer look at how he has fared in maximizing his cache of talent.
Plumbing the numbers
In this small sampling of games, Thibodeau has gone five deep into his bench to establish an expansive rotation. Taj Gibson (33 minutes per game), Kirk Hinrich (28.9 minutes per game) and Aaron Brooks (21.9 minutes per game) are leading the way.
It is no surprise to see the veterans getting a healthy amount of playing time; they are all established, consistent contributors who know how to help a team win in almost any capacity.
Gibson and Hinrich were already solid fixtures in Thibodeau’s lineups. When Butler, Rose and Noah were unable to play in the early going, it was a foregone conclusion as to who would fill in. Brooks was the overlooked beneficiary of these player shifts.
With Hinrich in the starting five several times already, the lion's share of reserve guard minutes went to Brooks, who has responded very well. Thibodeau has relied on the former Oregon Duck to orchestrate the second-string unit. He's been rewarded with a backup point guard averaging nearly 11 points and dishing out over four assists per game.
Old and new veterans stepping up and responding well to the Bulls philosophy are great; however, it is astonishing that two rookies have also been a part of the regular rotation. Doug McDermott has been clocking in at 14 minutes per game, and Nikola Mirotic has been seeing an average of 17 minutes each contest.
To put a little context to those numbers, Butler played in 42 games during his rookie season. He didn’t set foot on the court until January of 2012—logging just under nine minutes when he did.
Tony Snell could be considered the exception, as his on-court average as a rookie was more than McDermott’s current tally, but the former New Mexico standout was used out of necessity because Chicago was very shorthanded during the 2013-14 campaign.
With the consistent inclusion of the newest young guns, Thibodeau is getting a head start on their development. This shows tremendous confidence in their aptitude and suggests that they could be counted on for expanded roles in the near future.
So far so good?
There is a lot of time left to figure out and fine-tune the player combinations, and there has definitely been some testing going on.
In lineups that have consisted of two starters and three reserve players, the grouping of Brooks, McDermott, Mike Dunleavy and Pau Gasol has seen the most time. It has a respectable 132.6 offensive rating, which includes a 57.1 assist percentage.
When the personnel package is wholly off the bench, Brooks, Snell, McDermott, Mirotic and Gibson seem to be the preferred assortment. This bunch is a balanced offensive unit with shooters, slashers, post-up players and facilitators.
It is evident that gamut of lineup combinations is wide-ranging. The season is still young, and while this club continues to figure things out and let players recuperate, Thibodeau has not been timid about seeing what each of his guys can do.
Performance concerns aside (as there are some glaring issues underneath that fantastic winning percentage), the head coach has done a solid job maximizing the number of people involved. He's also struck a balance between executing team sets and giving certain athletes the green light to cut loose.
The Bulls have a genuine 10-man rotation. When the active roster plunges that deep, a tip of the hat has to go to the sideline general putting it all together. Thibodeau has been masterful with his new Bench Mob. As the season progresses and the collective effort becomes sharper, this depth will be a near-unstoppable force.
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