Ten victories for seven defeats. This is the result of the Bulls without Zach LaVine, and Billy Donovan's players are firmly clinging to 10th place in the Eastern Conference, synonymous, as it stands, with a new passage through the “play-in”. During this period, Chicago saw players explode like Coby White, but also Andre Drummond during the absence of Nikola Vucevic. Fans also discovered the game on the move, with less dribbling and more passing.
For the Bulls coach, it is now a question of reintegrating Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, without penalizing those who held the house, but also without compromising on the quality of the game.
No one should change the way they play
“Coby needs to keep doing what he’s doing,” said Billy Donovan. “Obviously the ball is in his hands a lot and he has to continue to be aggressive and do what he has done so far. I wouldn't want him to change the way he plays or feel obligated to do so. I never told him, 'Hey, you know, we're going to get Zach or [Vucevic], and you must change and do this'. »
Same speech for Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams.
“When you have players coming back, some people's minutes can change, but that doesn't mean I want the kids to do anything different,” continues Billy Donovan. “Frankly, we must continue to do the things that have allowed us to improve since the start of the season. »
To make the transition smooth, Billy Donovan started the LaVine-Vucevic duo on the bench against the Hornets. A tandem which will find the starting five, and it is also up to them to integrate into a collective which has taken shape.
“It’s about having more elements, because the last matches weren’t easy for the guys who had to play a lot of minutes… It’s about bringing positive energy,” believes Nikola Vucevic. “We hope to be able to help the team, play better and continue to raise our level of collective play. »
