Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

Chicago Bulls: Antonio Blakeney might be a better fit than Zach LaVine

By Michael RENE KANOY

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 21: Antonio Blakeney #9 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 21: Antonio Blakeney #9 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Chicago Bulls matched Zach LaVine’s big contract offer, but is he even the best shooting guard on the roster?

Hate to rain on anyone’s parade for the re-signing of Zach LaVine to a four-year, $78 million contract with team protection for potential injuries, but this is a bad move no matter what other Chicago Bulls or NBA media pundits may say.

A slam dunk champion and highlight film staple does not make for cornerstone shooting guard elite, especially if his knees can’t stand the wear and tear of the NBA.

Is the team going to trade him eventually for future assets if his game doesn’t develop this year?  We don’t know.  Everybody who’s watched him play knows he’s sort of a black hole, one-on-one slasher who drives straight into a double team with a shotblocker smothering him.

Sometimes he chucks bricks too.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

Now, Summer League 2018 has more portents of how much better the young recruits the Bulls have for roster spots than some of their three-year vets. Antonio Blakeney scored 25 in their first game against the Cavs, scoring at will against the highly-touted Collin Sexton.

Antonio Blakeney was the G-League’s Rookie of the Year last season, averaging 32.0 points, highest in the developmental league, and hauling down an impressive  6.6 rebounds to go with 3.9 assists and 1.25 steals in 32 games for the Chicago Bulls’ Windy City G-League team.

The Windy City Bulls went 17-15 with Blakeney playing in the lineup. This kid is only 21 and had seven games of 40 points for his team in his rookie G-League year.

As backup guard for the Chicago Bulls, with his two-way contract, Blakeney played in 19 games and averaged just 7.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in limited minutes. Does the team have to wait until Zach LaVine re-injuries his knee playing average, yet spectacularly until it finds out that Blakeney can possibly get the job done in the same manner as Lauri Markannen?

Blakeney is deceptively strong for his size and frame as a shooting guard, he syncs really well as a finisher for half-court plays and is able to knockdown a jumper when plays break down. He is also a rim-running guard who can take a rebound and dribble the length of the court and elevate over defenders to dunk or lay-up, with a foul to boot.

He can mix it up with bigs rebounding loose balls or missed shots at the rim, and though his on-ball defense against his man needs plenty of work, it isn’t why he was G-League Rookie of the Year.

Blakeney was a potential top 10 shooting guard who played in the shadow of Ben Simmons in LSU during his college years, and really wasn’t able to break out as the scoring maniac he was in the NBA G-League until the Bulls picked him up last year. His midrange game is elite and he can easily score over scrambling rim defenders before halfcourt defenses are set. The eye test actually proves he might be better than Zach LaVine if given a roster spot on the Bulls.

I think he approximates the ultra-quick and equally thin Allen Iverson, but missing the defensive prowess of The Answer as an on-ball defender. On offense, Blakeney’s long range game is as streaky as most, but he is the type of midrange knockdown player you can feed when he is hot.

He may be a liability on defense but the modern NBA is now all about scoring binges. At this point, with Wendell Carter now on the team to better defend the paint, run-out offense may be the Chicago Bulls’ main strength under Fred Hoiberg with their current young recruits. And if Zach LaVine continues to have injury issues, having a serious look at Antonio Blakeney may preserve LaVine as potential trade asset for future draft picks or a veteran star.

Maybe the Bulls might still like Jahil Okafor, too.

If the team can’t get any kind of shot off, Antonio Blakeney looks like that microwave shooter. Fred Hoiberg can count on to keep leads from being whittled down by opponents too easily.

Must Read: NBA :5 reasons to be excited for the 2018-19 season

Expect some kind of situation to come around by the trade deadline, if chemistry from last year is in a funk in the backcourt positions, and hopefully, it doesn’t take an injury to discover that it’s neither David Nwaba nor Zach Lavine that the Bulls need for starting shooting guard.

But the second coming of The Answer.

Home/Chicago Bulls