Chicago Bulls: Youth shows in overtime win over Wolves

The Chicago Bulls needed overtime to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, the young Bulls showed their potential but also had some crucial mistakes.

The Bulls made a huge mistake down the stretchon Wednesday night. Up by three under five seconds to go, and Coby White fouls a poor three-point shooter in the act of shooting. Some may argue it was a poor call, while others may argue it was the wrong play to consider fouling on the floor. However, in the end, mistakes are expected to be made by a 21-year-old, in his second year in one of the highest pressured leagues in the world.

Chicago was able to pull out the 133-126 victory in overtime but realistically it never should’ve got to that point. The Bulls held a 14 point lead at one point in the second half and also led by 10 with under four minutes to play.

The mid-game collapses are expected when there is a team as young as Chicago, who are currently starting three players 21 years old or younger. But on the bright side, the team is still winning games.

With the victory Wednesday night, the Bulls find themselves sitting in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The team is only half a game outside of the fourth seed.

The big foul from Coby White and lack of experience weren’t the only downsides for the growing Bulls team. The team let up 13 offensive rebounds and Wendell Carter Jr. was pushed around by Karl-Anthony Towns for a good portion of the game.

Carter Jr. is undersized for a true center in today’s game but continues to show his toughness. Despite being looked down upon by most of his matchups, Carter Jr. fights and is willing to sacrifice his body as shown Wednesday night, using five hard fouls. Carter Jr. has also worked to mold himself more into a modern-day NBA center each of his years in the league.

The big man shot 18 percent from three-point range his rookie season but now is just under 30 percent in his third year. He has also improved his eFG percentage and 2pFG percentage each of those years which is reassuring. However, his biggest concern has been his ability to stay on the court.

Only playing about two-thirds of his games last season, and only half his rookie year is concerning. But, When he is healthy he is a big part of Chicago’s future and can get over these learning curves with his teammates.

Patrick Williams is the youngest of the Bulls at just age 19 but has shown tremendous upside. He is still very raw with some skills and showed his age at a few moments against the Timberwolves. Williams fails to move off the ball at times and was a little lost on defense a handful of times down the floor.

However, these things are expected when you’re a rookie and have the pressure of being a top-five pick. Williams has Bulls fans excited for good reason, as he shoots the ball effectively and makes great decisions, and uses his athleticism to his advantage. Williams can guard almost all five positions and will only continue to improve moving forward.

As mentioned multiple times already, White made the biggest youth mistake Wednesday night. Fouling a three-point shooter is one of the worst things that a player can do at all times, but might be the absolute worst thing when up by three in the winding seconds.

White has had his fair share of slip-ups and poor plays all year but coach Billy Donovan has also came in and changed him to an off-ball player so mistakes are expected. White has shown flashes of greatness too as he was coming off a 24 point double-double and followed that up with 20 points Wednesday although he didn’t make a single three-pointer.

Despite missing all six attempts from beyond the arc, White made up for it in other ways as he added eight rebounds and six assists to his stat line. While White has struggled to get open and create shots for himself without the ball constantly in his hands, he has learned the off-ball guard position better and better each day.

He might’ve made the worst mistake yet for the Bulls this season, but in the end, it didn’t hurt Chicago. White has shown a lot of improvements in his second year especially on the defensive side and should have fans excited with his progress.

With the Bulls in a prime spot to control their playoff destiny as the midseason mark approaches, don’t expect it to be smooth sailing. The young team has a lot to work on, but can find ways to get past their mistakes and keep themselves striving towards their potential to stay in the playoff hunt.