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The Chicago Bulls had themselves a rather bizarre season last year. New acquisition DeMar DeRozan had himself a season to remember, torching opponents with regularity. Despite doubts from most fans, they fought for a top seed to start the year. However, multiple injuries to the Bulls completely dismantled their starting lineup. From Lonzo Ball all the way to Nikola Vucevic, nearly every player went down at some point during the season.
Now, with training camp just on the horizon, the Bulls have some questions they need to answer. One of these questions will be about their starting lineup. On paper, they have a pretty solid starting five. A core of Lonzo Ball-DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine-Patrick Williams-Nikola Vucevic is pretty good, all things considered. However, some players have struggled during the 2022 season.
With that in mind, which Bulls starter is in danger of losing his starting job during training camp? Let's take a dive into their roster to see who could stand out.
Bulls starter in danger of losing spot: Lonzo Ball
Most of the positions in the Bulls' starting lineup are either fixed for a good reason or have no good replacements on the roster. There's no world where you remove either LaVine or DeRozan from your starting five, obviously. Nikola Vucevic struggled in spurts last season, but he's certainly a better starter than any of the centers the Chicago employs right now.
You could make an argument that Patrick Williams could lose his starting job, especially with the emergence of Ayo Dosunmu. However, PAW brings length, size, and defense to a Bulls starting lineup that desperately needs that. Unless Javonte Green becomes the second incarnation of Tony Allen, Williams' spot on the roster should be secure for now.
That leaves the point guard position, which is also the most wide open position on the Bulls starting roster. Last season, Lonzo Ball held the starting position for Chicago. Ball performed as you'd expect: he wasn't a lights out scorer, but he handled the playmaking and defense for the team. He averaged 13 points per game on solid shooting from deep, along with five rebounds and assists per game and nearly two steals per game.
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However, multiple injuries forced Ball to miss more than half of the 2021 – 2022 season for the Bulls. In his stead, the Bulls didn't go with Alex Caruso to fill the void. Instead, Chicago turned to Ayo Dosunmu more often to start. DeRozan and LaVine would take up the playmaking load, while Dosunmu would focus more on finishing plays and defense.
Dosunmu did pretty well as a starter for the Bulls in Ball's stead. The then-rookie posted averages of 10.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds, all while providing excellent defense on the other side of the ball. He showed that he has the ability to play alongside the top dogs of the Bulls, while creating opportunities for himself and his teammates.
That shot creation ability is what could push Lonzo Ball away from the Bulls starting lineup in favor of Ayo Dosunmu. Ball's three-point shooting has been excellent for the Bulls (over 40% on almost eight shots per game). However, his finishing at the rim has been suspect since his rookie year, and it hasn't improved in Chicago. Ball is shooting 56% from within five feet on just over two shots a game. In contrast, Ayo Dosunmu is shooting 65% on nearly 3 attempts.
It would be hard to topple Ball's position on the starting rotation, though: the point guard's flaws on offense are overshadowed by his immense presence on the Bulls' defense. He's been one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, checking the opponent's best guards with regularity. His defensive IQ helps him a lot, allowing him to leverage his long limbs to make crazy plays on defense. And of course, he's one of the better three-point shooters on the team, as mentioned earlier.
The one true enemy of Ball in his entire career, though, has been his availability. He missed significant time in New Orleans and Los Angeles due to various knee injuries. His 2021 season with the Bulls was the worst yet, only playing in 35 games. The fact that Ball's knee injury is still bothering him nearly nine months later is not a good look for the UCLA point guard.
That same knee issue will keep Lonzo Ball out for the Bulls' training camp. Ball is also doubtful for the Bulls season opener, as well as potentially the next few games. If Ayo Dosunmu or any other guard on the Chicago roster balls out in the pre-season, Ball's spot on
