Bulls help Young reenergize NBA's rookie of the year race
Thanks in large part to Atlanta guard Trae Young, this was the most eventful weekend in more than a year for the Bulls.
Young lit it up for 49 points and 16 assists, but lost to the Bulls on Friday in Atlanta. The four-overtime marathon turned out to be the third highest-scoring game in league history. Then on Sunday at the United Center, Young's court time was cut short due to a controversial ejection. The NBA world was buzzing about both events.
Another obvious storyline appeared: Maybe NBA observers were too quick to declare a winner in the rookie of the year race.
Dallas' Luka Doncic was supposed to be a done deal, but Young has made this a sprint to the finish for an excellent rookie class.
Doncic is still doing very well and based on today's numbers, he deserves to be rookie of the year. Over the full season, Doncic is averaging 21.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 3.4 turnovers and shooting 43.5 percent from the field.
Young over the full season is averaging 18.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 4.0 turnovers and shooting 41.6 percent.
Here's the thing, though: On Christmas Day, Young was shooting 24.6 percent from 3-point range and was actually third among rookie scorers, behind Doncic and Phoenix center DeAndre Ayton. That's the main reason why everyone felt the race was over.
Since Christmas, Young has shot 41.5 percent from 3-point range. Since going 1-for-12 from the field at the United Center on Jan. 23, Young has shot 44.4 percent from long range and averaged 25.1 points.
Since the all-star break, Young has averaged 32.0 points, 9.5 assists and shot 51 percent from 3-point range.
In a couple months, Young has gone from possible bust to MVP-style numbers. Those who thought he could be the second coming of Steph Curry have gained credibility. Working against Kris Dunn this weekend, Young was able to get to the basket with regularity and drain jumpers from 30 feet. He is going to be a problem for any defense if that continues.
"I want him to walk out of here with the rookie of the year award because that just shows that he got better from start to finish," Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce said recently. "And if he finishes better than what he's playing at right now, just imagine what those numbers and what that performance looks like."
Doncic's performance has flattened out a bit. Maybe he's starting to wear down, but more likely he's having a tougher time now that Dallas traded away three veteran starters in DeAndre Jordan, Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews. The Mavericks lost to Memphis by 30 points at home on Saturday, for goodness sake.
Maybe this is a good year for another suspicious tie, like they had with Elton Brand and Steve Francis in 2000. For now, though, the path to the prize appears to have opened up like a lane to the rim and Young figures to keep his foot on the gas.
Dunn embraces rotation:
After Sunday's game, Kris Dunn addressed the Bulls' new rotation strategy.
For the past few games, Dunn has gotten an early hook and then come back with the second unit. The idea is this gives him a chance to be the primary scorer on the floor, a role he excelled at during college at Providence.
"Do I like that? Absolutely," Dunn said. "When you have three great scorers, I can't really be impactful scoring-wise. My job is to get them the ball. I'm not going to go in there and shoot with them."
The plan seemed to pay off on Sunday, as Dunn hit 6 of 12 shots to finish with 14 points and 6 assists. He went 5-for-10 from 3-point range in the two games against Atlanta, marking the first time in his NBA career he's hit multiple 3-pointers in consecutive games.
Dunn's aggressive approach doesn't fit as well in the starting lineup between Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr. But since Dunn has another year left on his rookie scale contract, the Bulls will probably want to keep this experiment running into next season.
Bull horns:
Philadelphia's Jimmy Butler missed practice Monday due to a sore back. Butler is set to make his second trip to the United Center as a visiting player on Wednesday, but first the Sixers have a home game against Orlando on Tuesday, so stay tuned. … Antonio Blakeney made an impact Sunday in his familiar instant-offense role. He scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls nearly rallied from a 16-point deficit. It was Blakeney's first double-figure scoring game since Jan. 11. He didn't play at all in eight of the previous 11 games. ... The Bulls decided to fly early and practice in Indiana Monday in advance of Tuesday's game against the Pacers.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Scouting report
Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers, 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
TV: WGN • Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The Pacers (41-23) have lost three of their last four, but still hold a half-game lead over Philadelphia for third place in the East. ... The Bulls went 0-3 against Indiana before SG Victor Oladipo was lost for the season. All three games were close, with the Bulls losing by 2 points and by 3 in OT at home. The previous visit to Indiana was Jim Boylen's debut as head coach and the Bulls lost 96-90 Dec. 4. ... Since Oladipo went out with a knee injury Jan. 23, the Pacers have gone 9-8 and SF Bojan Bogdanovic has been the team's leading scorer at 21.8 ppg. C Myles Turner is averaging 13.1 points on the season and leads the league in blocked shots with 2.8 per game. ... The Bulls have dropped five in a row at Indiana.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. Wednesday at the United Center
- Mike McGraw