Chicago Bulls: Player grades for the halfway mark of 2020-21
By Ryan Taylor
Being strong off the bench is very important for the Chicago Bulls right now.
Thaddeus Young — A
“Thadgic Johnson,” or the man dubbed the “MVP” of the Bulls by Zach LaVine, has been a huge help off the bench for the Bulls. He provides a plethora of untapped talent under Donovan’s scheme – passing, interior defense, and his patented baby hook.
Young is averaging 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game this season. He is shooting 60.9 percent from the field, 22.7 percent from three, and 50 percent from the line.
He is recording nearly a two-point offensive and defensive box plus/minus, meaning his impact on both ends of the ball is invaluable. He is also sporting the highest win shares per 48 minutes in his career this season at .173 wins shares.
Garrett Temple — A-
Garrett Temple, the 10-year NBA veteran out of LSU, was the first free-agent signing by Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley last offseason. Temple has brought excellent veteran experience and a strong defensive presence to the young Bulls’ team in the first half of the season.
Temple is averaging 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game this season. He shoots 42 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three, both of which are just above his career averages.
Temple’s best strength is his defense which doesn’t show extremely well in his stats. He is recording a 113 defensive rating and -0.8 defensive box plus/minus which is below his career average of 0.6. This is because he and Williams usually get the toughest assignments.
Tomas Satoransky – B+
Satoransky was the first Bulls’ player to contract COVID-19 at the beginning of the season which left him out of 11 straight games. While his season has been rocky, in five of his last seven games Sato has scored in double digits.
This season, Sato is averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He is shooting 53.6 percent from the field, 48.3 percent from three, and 89.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Sato is doing very well as a backup to Coby White and being able to run the offense well with the second line. He has played similar to the smart John Paxson of the bench while Coby White is the young and athletic B.J Armstrong that can score at an easier rate.