Progress Report for Chicago Bulls' Newcomers

The Chicago Bulls added four important players this past summer—and also brought a pretty famous one back.

Derrick Rose isn’t a newcomer to Chicago basketball. But, like new teammates Pau Gasol, Doug McDermott, Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic, he faces a steep adjustment curve in the 2014-15 season. All of these players are reintegrating themselves into team-wide structures. And under head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls have operated at a high level without them for the last two seasons.

The Bulls have proved they can make the playoffs and cause elite teams trouble with a spotty roster. Thibodeau's influence and the continuity of his intense culture mean they're never going to be an easy out. It's on the new Bulls to fit into that mold.

Let’s check in on how Chicago’s big additions have played so far.

Doug McDermott

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Doug McDermott is merely a rookie, but Bulls fans are already thinking of him as the team’s best shooter this side of Kyle Korver.

There’s some frustration over McDermott’s minutes in Chicago. Thibodeau doesn’t like to trust rookies with his complex, intense defensive system, and it typically takes at least a season of training to get substantial minutes on his watch. McDermott is averaging just 12.8 per game.

Thibodeau is mostly right to ease “McBuckets” in gradually, though. The Creighton University alumnus is visibly challenged by the speed, size and intricacy present every night in the NBA, and it will take good time before he can be a contributor for a playoff squad. The fact that McDermott is shooting just 33 percent from deep (his supposed area of strength) tells us he’s not ready for too many extra rotation minutes yet.

The caveat here is that McDermott should get more playing time against weaker opponents. Thibodeau should be capitalizing in his depth by resting his starters more and giving the hungry McDermott (and Nikola Mirotic) the chance to prove themselves against the likes of the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. Dougie totaled just 17 minutes against those two teams.

Thibodeau seems confident McDermott can earn extra minutes, even if he isn't giving them to him now. 

"I know where confidence comes from," Thibodeau told reporters during training camp, via ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell. "Work and preparation. What do we call it now? Swag. We called it confidence back in the day. Where does it come from? People say, 'Well, he's a real confident guy.' The thing that you find is that the guys that put the work in, that gives you confidence. Each game is a test. It reveals exactly where you are. In this league, you can't skip steps." 

Nikola Mirotic

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Bulls rookie No. 2 is Mirotic, the man whose legend precedes him.

The Montenegro native and former Spanish League MVP hasn’t been too consistent in his limited minutes (just 11.4 per game), but he’s given us doses of brilliance on the court. Simply put: There’s not a lot Mirotic can’t do.

The prospect of the 6’10” forward putting all his talents together on a consistent basis is terrifying for Bulls enemies. He’s incredibly mobile for his size and an ace shooter and shot-creator. He’s also got quick enough hands to pile up blocks and steals at an elite level.

But when it comes to 2014-15, we’re happy with anything we get from Mirotic. He’s at the back end of a deep frontcourt rotation, and for now his job is to learn and be ready for his opportunity to wow.

Aaron Brooks

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Welcome to Chicago, Aaron Brooks. This is where point guards come to be born again.

Thibodeau’s impressive streak of point guard rehabilitation continues with Brooks, who’s perhaps the most talented reserve general the coach has had yet. After a blistering start, Brooks has chilled down to a respectable 17.56 player efficiency rating and 37 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

But we’ve seen flashes of what Chicago needs from Brooks. He can light a court on fire when he’s got the hot hand, and the Bulls will ask him to do that through stretches of Derrick Rose’s health problems and general team fatigue. Brooks is a quick, able point guard who makes defenses respect his scoring. While he can't cause the same misdirection that Rose does, he's more than ready to make life easier for his team.

Pau Gasol

Andrew Nelles/Associated Press

The surprise of the Bulls' season so far is that Pau Gasol is the team’s November MVP. Averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, Gasol has been paramount.

His modest demeanor also fits right into his team’s culture. "He comes in every day, takes care of himself, studies, prepares, practices hard, practices well, executes," Thibodeau told the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson. "He's not one of those guys who pounds his chest and says, 'Look at me.' He plays for the team.”

With Gasol added to the mix, the Bulls have no lack of selfless, talented centers. At 34, it’s fair to doubt the Spaniard’s remaining abilities, but what he’s shown us so far makes the trio of him, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson the best big man troupe in the league this season.

Derrick Rose

Andrew Nelles/Associated Press

Perhaps you’ve heard: Derrick Rose is not a healthy man. The former MVP—and most important Bulls player—has already missed five of his team’s 10 games.

Idiot wind notwithstanding, this is simply bad luck—not a sign of some sort of moral lack at Rose’s core. Bulls fans should ignore the hot-take fervor surrounding their star and his frequently controversial choice of words. Rose is a super talent who’s bought into winning a title in Chicago, even if his body isn’t.

Plus, his new approach to his injuries is just smart. From Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin:

"

Throughout the NBA, the most successful teams have grown more conservative with the way they play their stars. For as much criticism as Gregg Popovich takes around the league for resting Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in games that are on national TV during the season (as he did last week against the Houston Rockets), the San Antonio Spurs have made it no secret that their careful approach to minutes is integral to their continued success.

"

Rose may very well fail in his maintenance program, still end up in that dreaded could've-been category and, per Highkin, "[wind] up like former Portland Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy, who fought through years of injuries and ended up with a degenerative knee condition and a career over at 28." What we’ve seen from the point guard in limited time has been encouraging, though.

Rose looks close to his previously stunning level of play as he carves up defenses and makes life easier for his offense. His return, when he's been spry enough to take the floor, has been a success. If Rose is healthy late in the year, the Bulls are title contenders. If he’s not, they’ll likely to have settle for the role of premier spoilers.

Will Rose’s body agree with his ambitions or won’t it? The Bulls’ timeless dilemma hasn’t changed in 2014-15.