Bulls' Canaan comes from nowhere to play major role in Game 4
Isaiah Canaan started the season with a spot in the Bulls' regular rotation. He averaged about 20 minutes per game through the first week of December, then disappeared.
He became the 15th player on a 15-man roster. The only time he received double-digit minutes after Dec. 16 was in a couple of blowout losses at Golden State and Minnesota, along with a game in Washington when both Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler were out. His game log features a whole lot of zeros.
"It's tough. Many nights I couldn't sleep, just wondering what happened," Canaan said. "I had to stay with it. My teammates believed in me that whole time and kept me locked in, kept me ready to go, kept me motivated."
Naturally, Canaan wasn't sure what to think when coaches pulled him aside Saturday and told him to be ready. As it turned out, he was the backup plan if Jerian Grant struggled at the start of Game 4. Canaan ended up playing 33 minutes - his highest total of the season - and scoring 13 points in the Bulls' 104-95 loss.
"I was really proud of Isaiah Canaan for coming out after a lot of DNPs, being on the inactive list," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We wanted to get him in there because he is a guy that can pressure the ball and pick up the ball full court. That was the plan going into today. If we didn't get off to a good start, he was going to get his opportunity. He really battled Isaiah (Thomas)."
Boston's Thomas clearly won the battle of the Isaiahs, since he scored 33 points. But the box score showed how much Canaan helped the cause. He was a plus-11, meaning the Bulls outscored the Celtics by 11 points when he was in the game, compared to a minus-10 by Grant and minus-11 from Michael Carter-Williams. Canaan was also the Bulls' best 3-point shooter, going 3-for-7.
"That's my calling card, just go in there and play as hard as I can," Canaan said. "Pick up the defender, try to make his night miserable and try to take as much time off the clock when they're trying to run their offense.
"It's about winning with me. Of course, I would have loved to played and been playing to help the team out. But you can't really worry about that. You have to worry about the next day and how you can get better."
Hoiberg wouldn't commit to any future lineups, but it seems safe to predict Canaan will play a major role in Game 5 at Boston.
"We needed something different and he picked it up," Wade said. "That is a guy that worked behind the scenes for his opportunity. Hopefully going forward, he is a big part of what we do."