Chicago Bulls 2017-18 Players Review: The Starters

Chicago Bulls 2017-18 Players Review: The Starters

Individual player reviews of the Chicago Bulls 2017-18 starting unit.

Individual player reviews of the Chicago Bulls 2017-18 starting unit.

As Bulls fans do not get the pleasure of watching the team in the playoffs this season (and potentially for the next several seasons), I thought it would be best to take some time to review how each player did in the 2017-18 season. I have decided to break it up into two pools of players: the starters and the bench (the latter review will be coming later in the month).

The Starters

Kris Dunn

Zach LaVine

Justin Holiday

Lauri Markkanen

Robin Lopez

Side note: I have put Zach LaVine in this group for obvious reasons and although he only appeared in 24 games this season, he also started all 24 games and would have started 82 games if he had played in 82 games.

Kris Dunn

Earlier this year I wrote an article detailing Dunn’s improvement this season and I stand by what I wrote then. Kris Dunn made a huge leap in sophomore year and I hope he builds off that next season. He has already shown he is in the category of elite guard defenders and can also provide some solid offense at times.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 52 43 29.3 5.5 12.8 .429 0.8 2.6 .321 4.7 10.2 .457 .462 1.6 2.2 .730 0.5 3.8 4.3 6.0 2.0 0.5 2.9 3.4 13.4
Career 130 50 22.0 3.1 7.5 .413 0.5 1.6 .309 2.6 5.9 .440 .445 0.9 1.3 .690 0.4 2.6 3.0 3.8 1.4 0.5 1.8 2.7 7.6
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

When he initially earned the starting role over Jerian Grant, Dunn had a stretch of games where he was shooting the ball really well. However, his shooting fell off a little as the season continued, leading to some mediocre shooting percentages. Nonetheless, Bulls fans should be happy that Dunn made the leap he did and should look forward to further improvement from Dunn in his third season.

Highlights: vast improvement all-around, strong defender, decent passer.

Areas to improve upon include: committing fewer fouls, shooting efficiency, offensive consistency, reduce turnovers.

Zach LaVine

We didn’t get the full scope of LaVine’s potential as the #1 option on offense due to his ACL recovery and minutes restriction upon return, yet LaVine seemed to use every offensive possession to show he hadn’t lost any of his athleticism post-injury. He seemed to call for the ball every time down the floor so he could get a shot off or attack the basket, regardless of whether it was a good shot or not. This became very apparent in his shooting efficiency as it was far from desirable.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 24 24 27.3 5.7 14.8 .383 1.8 5.1 .341 3.9 9.7 .405 .442 3.6 4.5 .813 0.4 3.5 3.9 3.0 1.0 0.2 1.8 2.3 16.7
Career 230 144 28.7 5.1 11.7 .437 1.5 4.0 .373 3.6 7.8 .470 .501 2.2 2.7 .820 0.4 2.7 3.0 3.2 0.8 0.2 2.1 2.2 14.0
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

I do not expect those bad percentages next season, however. I think LaVine was just trying to make too much happen in his limited minutes and I expect him to return to a more efficient form in the fall with the start of the 2018-19 season. He definitely had his ups and downs in his 24 games played but I am very excited to see what he can do next season. LaVine certainly showed flashes of what he is capable of being.

Highlights: doesn’t seem to have lost any athleticism, showed flashes of being a go-to 20+ ppg scorer.

Areas to improve upon include: Tries to be the point guard even when Dunn is on the floor, defense, efficiency, consistency.

Justin Holiday

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Justin Holiday. He played fine this season for a tanking Bulls team. I think he could be better suited for a bench role on a better team. He certainly isn't a guy you want to have starting for your team and playing 30+ minutes per game given the low shot percentage and he put up this season in those minutes, despite posting career highs in points per game, rebounds, assists, and steals. He had also never averaged more than 20 minutes per game in his previous seasons in the league, which explains his uptick in his statistical numbers. Looking through his 2017-18 game log, he was also pretty inconsistent. One night he would 20+ and the next game he would score single digits. At 29 years old, this seems to be the peak of Holiday's abilities.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 72 72 31.5 4.0 10.9 .371 2.2 6.2 .359 1.8 4.6 .387 .474 1.9 2.3 .823 0.4 3.6 4.0 2.1 1.1 0.4 1.3 1.9 12.2
Career 275 85 19.9 2.6 6.7 .392 1.2 3.5 .350 1.4 3.2 .438 .483 1.0 1.2 .811 0.3 2.2 2.5 1.4 0.8 0.4 0.9 1.3 7.4
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

Highlights: could be a solid role player on a better team if he improves efficiency.

Areas to improve upon include: Shot efficiency/shot selection, consistency.

Lauri Markkanen

I was very impressed by my large, Finnish son in his rookie season. Markkanen exceeded all my expectations and I hope that one day “Baby Dirk” lives up to the nickname.

One of the biggest issues I had watching him play, however, was actually the team's lack of focus for playing through him on offense. Hoiberg and the rest of the team need to focus on getting him more involved on offense next season because he is already the second best scorer on the team behind LaVine and possibly has the potential to become the #1 option.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 68 68 29.7 5.5 12.7 .434 2.1 5.9 .362 3.4 6.8 .497 .518 2.1 2.4 .843 1.2 6.3 7.5 1.2 0.6 0.6 1.2 1.5 15.2
Career 68 68 29.7 5.5 12.7 .434 2.1 5.9 .362 3.4 6.8 .497 .518 2.1 2.4 .843 1.2 6.3 7.5 1.2 0.6 0.6 1.2 1.5 15.2
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

Highlights: Scoring, a better rebounder than I thought he would be, Jackie Moon haircut, more athletic than I expected.

Areas to improve upon include: Could be better on defense, needs to improve shooting efficiency, needs to take more shots.

Robin Lopez

I don’t know how much longer Lopez will be on the Bulls but I have enjoyed his time with the team. He has been entertaining with his various antics and dislike of mascots and provides a great veteran presence for this young, rebuilding team.

While his numbers took a dip this season that can probably be attributed to the reduced minutes and games sat out for “injury”. Speaking of DNPs, I never heard one complaint come out about Lopez for being given a reduced role or getting healthy DNPs for the purposes of the Bulls tanking objective. 

Lopez is better than his numbers this season reflect and I hope he eventually gets the opportunity to have a better role for a team with stronger immediate playoff potential.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 64 64 26.4 5.3 10.1 .530 0.1 0.2 .286 5.3 9.9 .536 .533 1.1 1.4 .756 2.1 2.4 4.5 1.9 0.2 0.8 1.7 1.7 11.8
Career 692 544 23.2 3.8 7.1 .527 0.0 0.0 .200 3.8 7.1 .528 .527 1.5 2.0 .760 2.5 3.0 5.4 0.8 0.3 1.2 1.1 2.0 9.0
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

Highlights: Veteran leader, you know what you’re getting each night from him.

Areas to improve upon include: Is just an okay rebounder and inside defender.

As Bulls fans do not get the pleasure of watching the team in the playoffs this season (and potentially for the next several seasons), I thought it would be best to take some time to review how each player did in the 2017-18 season. I have decided to break it up into two pools of players: the starters and the bench (the latter review will be coming later in the month).

The Starters

Kris Dunn

Zach LaVine

Justin Holiday

Lauri Markkanen

Robin Lopez

Side note: I have put Zach LaVine in this group for obvious reasons and although he only appeared in 24 games this season, he also started all 24 games and would have started 82 games if he had played in 82 games.

Kris Dunn

Earlier this year I wrote an article detailing Dunn’s improvement this season and I stand by what I wrote then. Kris Dunn made a huge leap in sophomore year and I hope he builds off that next season. He has already shown he is in the category of elite guard defenders and can also provide some solid offense at times.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 52 43 29.3 5.5 12.8 .429 0.8 2.6 .321 4.7 10.2 .457 .462 1.6 2.2 .730 0.5 3.8 4.3 6.0 2.0 0.5 2.9 3.4 13.4
Career 130 50 22.0 3.1 7.5 .413 0.5 1.6 .309 2.6 5.9 .440 .445 0.9 1.3 .690 0.4 2.6 3.0 3.8 1.4 0.5 1.8 2.7 7.6
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

When he initially earned the starting role over Jerian Grant, Dunn had a stretch of games where he was shooting the ball really well. However, his shooting fell off a little as the season continued, leading to some mediocre shooting percentages. Nonetheless, Bulls fans should be happy that Dunn made the leap he did and should look forward to further improvement from Dunn in his third season.

Highlights: vast improvement all-around, strong defender, decent passer.

Areas to improve upon include: committing fewer fouls, shooting efficiency, offensive consistency, reduce turnovers.

Zach LaVine

We didn’t get the full scope of LaVine’s potential as the #1 option on offense due to his ACL recovery and minutes restriction upon return, yet LaVine seemed to use every offensive possession to show he hadn’t lost any of his athleticism post-injury. He seemed to call for the ball every time down the floor so he could get a shot off or attack the basket, regardless of whether it was a good shot or not. This became very apparent in his shooting efficiency as it was far from desirable.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 24 24 27.3 5.7 14.8 .383 1.8 5.1 .341 3.9 9.7 .405 .442 3.6 4.5 .813 0.4 3.5 3.9 3.0 1.0 0.2 1.8 2.3 16.7
Career 230 144 28.7 5.1 11.7 .437 1.5 4.0 .373 3.6 7.8 .470 .501 2.2 2.7 .820 0.4 2.7 3.0 3.2 0.8 0.2 2.1 2.2 14.0
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

I do not expect those bad percentages next season, however. I think LaVine was just trying to make too much happen in his limited minutes and I expect him to return to a more efficient form in the fall with the start of the 2018-19 season. He definitely had his ups and downs in his 24 games played but I am very excited to see what he can do next season. LaVine certainly showed flashes of what he is capable of being.

Highlights: doesn’t seem to have lost any athleticism, showed flashes of being a go-to 20+ ppg scorer.

Areas to improve upon include: Tries to be the point guard even when Dunn is on the floor, defense, efficiency, consistency.

Justin Holiday

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Justin Holiday. He played fine this season for a tanking Bulls team. I think he could be better suited for a bench role on a better team. He certainly isn't a guy you want to have starting for your team and playing 30+ minutes per game given the low shot percentage and he put up this season in those minutes, despite posting career highs in points per game, rebounds, assists, and steals. He had also never averaged more than 20 minutes per game in his previous seasons in the league, which explains his uptick in his statistical numbers. Looking through his 2017-18 game log, he was also pretty inconsistent. One night he would 20+ and the next game he would score single digits. At 29 years old, this seems to be the peak of Holiday's abilities.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 72 72 31.5 4.0 10.9 .371 2.2 6.2 .359 1.8 4.6 .387 .474 1.9 2.3 .823 0.4 3.6 4.0 2.1 1.1 0.4 1.3 1.9 12.2
Career 275 85 19.9 2.6 6.7 .392 1.2 3.5 .350 1.4 3.2 .438 .483 1.0 1.2 .811 0.3 2.2 2.5 1.4 0.8 0.4 0.9 1.3 7.4
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

Highlights: could be a solid role player on a better team if he improves efficiency.

Areas to improve upon include: Shot efficiency/shot selection, consistency.

Lauri Markkanen

I was very impressed by my large, Finnish son in his rookie season. Markkanen exceeded all my expectations and I hope that one day “Baby Dirk” lives up to the nickname.

One of the biggest issues I had watching him play, however, was actually the team's lack of focus for playing through him on offense. Hoiberg and the rest of the team need to focus on getting him more involved on offense next season because he is already the second best scorer on the team behind LaVine and possibly has the potential to become the #1 option.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 68 68 29.7 5.5 12.7 .434 2.1 5.9 .362 3.4 6.8 .497 .518 2.1 2.4 .843 1.2 6.3 7.5 1.2 0.6 0.6 1.2 1.5 15.2
Career 68 68 29.7 5.5 12.7 .434 2.1 5.9 .362 3.4 6.8 .497 .518 2.1 2.4 .843 1.2 6.3 7.5 1.2 0.6 0.6 1.2 1.5 15.2
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

Highlights: Scoring, a better rebounder than I thought he would be, Jackie Moon haircut, more athletic than I expected.

Areas to improve upon include: Could be better on defense, needs to improve shooting efficiency, needs to take more shots.

Robin Lopez

I don’t know how much longer Lopez will be on the Bulls but I have enjoyed his time with the team. He has been entertaining with his various antics and dislike of mascots and provides a great veteran presence for this young, rebuilding team.

While his numbers took a dip this season that can probably be attributed to the reduced minutes and games sat out for “injury”. Speaking of DNPs, I never heard one complaint come out about Lopez for being given a reduced role or getting healthy DNPs for the purposes of the Bulls tanking objective. 

Lopez is better than his numbers this season reflect and I hope he eventually gets the opportunity to have a better role for a team with stronger immediate playoff potential.

Per Game Table
Season G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 64 64 26.4 5.3 10.1 .530 0.1 0.2 .286 5.3 9.9 .536 .533 1.1 1.4 .756 2.1 2.4 4.5 1.9 0.2 0.8 1.7 1.7 11.8
Career 692 544 23.2 3.8 7.1 .527 0.0 0.0 .200 3.8 7.1 .528 .527 1.5 2.0 .760 2.5 3.0 5.4 0.8 0.3 1.2 1.1 2.0 9.0
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2018.

Highlights: Veteran leader, you know what you’re getting each night from him.

Areas to improve upon include: Is just an okay rebounder and inside defender.

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