Chicago Bulls Starved for Stability at Small Forward in Mike Dunleavy's Absence
CHICAGO — Over the last week, a welcome sight has become a regular occurrence at Chicago Bulls practice: Mike Dunleavy moving around and getting up shots.
Dunleavy is still a ways away from playing as he recovers from the back surgery that has sidelined him since before training camp. But he’s making progress, and with Chicago's inconsistency at the small forward position, his imminent return will provide some much-needed stability on the wing.
The Bulls’ depth, as the roster is currently constructed, is limited entirely to the frontcourt. Between Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson, Chicago has so many capable bigs that promising rookie Bobby Portis has barely been able to get on the floor. But it ends there.
Small forward has been a particular area of struggle with Dunleavy out. Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg has rotated Doug McDermott and Tony Snell in and out of the starting lineup, trying to find a combination that works, but neither of the Bulls’ young wings has been able to approximate the combination of solid team defense and reliable outside shooting that Dunleavy brings.
“He means a lot to this team,” Hoiberg said last week at practice as Dunleavy worked on three-pointers behind him. “He had a great year last year. Look at what he did with analytics, the numbers he had, he was as important as anyone on this team. He’s just a pro. He knows where to be, he’s always going to be in the right spot. He’s going to know the game plan and space the floor, knock down shots. He brings an element of toughness as well, that guys that have been around the league as long as he has just have instilled in them. We’re looking forward to getting him back.”
Indeed, in the 19 games Dunleavy missed last season, the Bulls went 9-10, while they went 41-22 when he played. With Dunleavy on the court last year, the Bulls outscored teams by 5.4 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. With Dunleavy out, that number dropped to just 1.5 points per 100 possessions.
There’s no time frame for Dunleavy’s return, but sometime in December is realistic. With him will return a level of stability to Chicago’s wing rotation. In the meantime, small forward continues to be a liability. Snell in particular has struggled at both ends of the floor, shooting 35.8 percent from the field and looking lost at times on defense.
Hoiberg is staying relentlessly positive about the third-year forward.
“Tony’s had some really good moments for us,” the coach said. “He’s helped us win a lot of games this year, and he’s definitely going to get better and better. I truly believe that, because of his work ethic. He’s a guy that puts a lot of extra time in the gym, he’s always getting up extra shots, he always wants to watch film and grow. He’s had some really key moments defensively as well. He’s done a good job for us so far this season.”
Last season, Snell showed potential as a secondary wing defender able to take some pressure off Jimmy Butler. But that progress has flatlined this year, and unlike McDermott, he hasn’t done enough offensively to make up for it.
After struggling in his limited minutes last year under Tom Thibodeau, McDermott has blossomed offensively under Hoiberg, shooting 53.8 percent from three-point range and showing a surprising ability to score off cuts in the paint. But McDermott has been getting burned on defense to such a degree that, even with his offense a significant upgrade over Snell, he was recently moved back to the bench after spending four games in the starting lineup.
As Hoiberg has experimented with lineups and combinations of players, McDermott has proven too much of a liability on defense to play extended minutes alongside Gasol and Mirotic, neither of whom is a noted defenders. But McDermott has been solid in his role as the lead scorer on the reserve unit.
“We haven’t been playing very well at the beginnings of games,” Hoiberg said. “Doug gives us a punch offensively coming off the bench.”
But these are all temporary solutions. When Dunleavy returns, McDermott’s bench scoring role will be solidified. Snell could fall out of the rotation entirely. They’ve managed to stitch together an 8-3 record without Dunleavy and with much of the rotation in flux. A healthy Dunleavy will give the Bulls a better idea of the kind of team they have.
Statistics are accurate as of Thursday, Nov. 19.
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