NEWSLETTER
Since the day the Bulls signed Tomas Satoransky at the start of free agency, Kris Dunn’s days in the starting lineup were numbered. And now we know what the number was: 107.
Head coach Jim Boylen finally made the announcement:
“For tomorrow’s game and our opener on the 23rd, Satoransky will start with Dunn coming off the bench.” – Coach Boylen pic.twitter.com/3oniDEKgve
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 16, 2019
Tomas Satoransky was awarded a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason, and as the summer went on, it became increasingly evident (well, to us) that he’d eventually become the team’s lead guard. Not only did his numbers with the Wizards prove that he was an above-average facilitator, but his impressive showing at the FIBA World Cup put him on notice for basketball fans across the globe, as well.
With that said, there was an open competition for the role, and something had to push Boylen over the top. Fortunately, we already have an answer: According to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson, Satoransky’s shooting ability combined with his fast decision-making led to Boylen’s decision. In fact, Johnson was even able to share how many minutes we should expect to see both Satoransky and Dunn on the court this season:
Barring foul trouble, Satoransky likely will play in the range of 30 to 32 minutes, while Dunn could be in the 18 to 22 minutes range. Boylen consistently has talked about the need for sacrifice for the Bulls to make the jump to a contending team.
As for Coby White, I’d imagine we’ll continue to see him come off the bench in a pretty big role. As I’ve stated before, I expect White to get 20+ minutes a game off the bench as he plays the majority of his time off the ball. Thursday’s game against the Hawks should be our best indicator for what we’ll see at the start of the regular season.
When all is said and done, Satoransky knows what’s up. He was the team’s best option at the position and gives this squad one heck of a well-rounded skill set to work with.
Time to look forward to more Sato-LaVine oops!
https://twitter.com/BN_Bulls/status/1183529541643448320?s=20
