Donovan doesn't blame Bulls' Carter for reluctance to shoot
There were some awkward moments for center Wendell Carter during Friday's loss in Milwaukee.
He'd catch the ball at the top of the key, Bucks center Brook Lopez would back way off and Carter wasn't sure if he wanted to launch a 3-point shot. At one point, it looked like teammate Garrett Temple yelled at Carter to shoot it and the third-year pro obliged by banking in a 3. So what's going on there?
"To be honest with you, that wasn't Wendell's fault at all," coach Billy Donovan said before Sunday's game. "Our guys just did not do a great job playing against the contact and physicality of Milwaukee. We've obviously used him as a facilitator up top. He probably could have taken a few more shots.
"I've said this about Wendell, he's got really good discretion about when to shoot, when not to shoot. I think he enjoys facilitating and passing. We didn't screen well enough for each other. We didn't cut well enough for each other."
Carter talked becoming a 3-point threat this season, but was just 1-for-16 from behind the arc in preseason. In the regular season, he's 3-for-9 from the 3-point line, but has scored in double figures for four straight games.
"We've all got to help each other to generate and manufacture shots," Donovan said. "We've got to help one another try to get the ball to go downhill toward the basket and we just did not have enough of that. I thought Milwaukee physically blew out a lot of screens.
"I think we needed to cut a lot harder, we needed to screen a lot harder and I thought we got a little bit stagnant. I'm hopeful that experience will make us better, help us get better. I think Wendell's done a good job and continues to improve as time has gone on."