Hoiberg names Gibson the starter at PF for Bulls
Preseason results told Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg everything he needs to know about the optimal starting lineup.
Hoiberg announced Tuesday he'll start Taj Gibson at power forward in Thursday's season opener against Boston at the United Center, along with Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Robin Lopez.
Gibson was the Bulls' leading scorer (13.8 points) and rebounder (7.7) during preseason and he shot 64 percent from the field. He was the obvious choice, especially after Nikola Mirotic suffered a back injury last week. Mirotic missed the Bulls' final exhibition contest, but has returned to practice and is expected to be fine.
The argument for Mirotic was potentially debunked in preseason. Rondo, Wade and Butler have not been good 3-point shooters in the NBA, so playing Mirotic at power forward puts at least one floor-spacer on the court.
But there were some encouraging signs in preseason. Wade shot 43.8 percent from behind the arc, hitting 7 of 16 attempts. Butler connected on 50 percent, although he put up just 6 shots.
"We'll be fine," Butler said Tuesday. "As long as we're guarding, the offense will take care of itself. We're constantly in attack mode.
"There's more than just shooting 3s. You have to get in transition. There's pick-and-roll, free-throw line. There's a lot more to the game than just shooting 3s. But yeah, I think we'll take them and make them."
Hoiberg plans to address the 3-point problem by sticking to his preseason rotation that had Doug McDermott checking in for Wade midway through the first quarter, then Wade replacing Butler before the first quarter ends.
Long-range shooting has become an important part of today's NBA. Last year's NBA Finalists, Cleveland and Golden State, ranked first and second in 3-pointers made. The Bulls were third in the league in 3-point percentage at .371, behind the Warriors and San Antonio, but ranked just 21st in 3-pointers made, so the volume didn't match the accuracy.
"Niko is playing with some confidence now," Hoiberg said. "He has had two really good practices. He's going to be a big key to what we're trying to do this year. If he can stay behind the line and space the floor the way we think he can, that will help everybody."
Rookie Denzel Valentine made it through a full practice for the first time since suffering a sprained left ankle in the preseason opener on Oct. 3. Hoiberg said Valentine is likely to play on Thursday.