Chicago Bulls: Is Chris Fleming the coaching answer?

Chicago Bulls should look to Chris Fleming if a coaching change is made

The Chicago Bulls may be preparing to ditch head coach Jim Boylen after two and a half seasons filled with tension. With the recent hiring of new team president Arturas Karnisovas, it is looking like Karnisovas will try to revamp the organization and bring in his own coach.

Is it possible that the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls is already on the staff, though?

Enter Chris Fleming. The Bulls’ 50-year-old lead assistant, who started his coaching career as a head coach in Europe before joining the NBA with Karnisovas in the Denver Nuggets organization. After a year with the Nuggets, Fleming has spent time as a major assistant for the Brooklyn Nets the past three years before becoming the lead assistant for the Bulls this season.

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Fleming was brought onto Jim Boylen’s staff to improve the team’s offense and specialize in player development. With Boylen potentially on his way out, would Fleming be a smart, logical smart answer as a replacement?

Chicago Bulls should entertain the idea

Chris Fleming should be the first person the Bulls look at due to his place in the organization, and his resume so far. Fleming is viewed as an offensive tactician and a player development expert, which is exactly what the Bulls should be looking for. His resume speaks to a career of improving offenses and growing talent.

Starting as a head coach in Germany, Fleming’s teams were consistently near the top of the standings. What makes it that fact even more intriguing is the fact that Fleming was coaching teams in Germany when most of the best players in Europe were often heading to clubs in Spain and Italy.

With lesser talent, Fleming won four straight championships in Germany, developing his reputation as an excellent teacher and strong offensive mind. His reputation should be something the Bulls want from their coach for their young core.

Fleming’s time in Europe is where he began to master his own motion offense. That offense is what he has carried with him to the NBA, and what he tried to bring to the Bulls as an assistant this year. Hopefully, as a head coach, he can actually do it.

For a look at what Fleming can bring to the Bulls, the best example right now would be last year’s Brooklyn Nets squad. The Nets last year made a huge leap and Fleming’s role on Kenny Atkinson’s staff played a huge role in that.

Before even looking at the offense itself, it’s important to note that Fleming’s role as a teacher for the Nets is what played a big part in the development of Nets players Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen along with the All-Star leap by D’Angelo Russell. Being able to consistently be the lead voice for the Bulls could help their core make a similar jump.

As for Fleming’s offense itself, it really is a modern offense. It’s a very egalitarian system that relies on motion, and a heavy amount of 3-point shooting. Fleming’s offense also mixes a lot of different concepts into it which is great for keeping defenses off balance.

Looking at the Brooklyn offense from last season, they ranked 5th in 3-pointers made a game with 13 3’s a game. If Fleming was the coach and Karnisovas added some wing shooting to Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Coby White, then Chicago can have an excellent 3-point attack.

The Nets also ranked 5th in isolation frequency meaning often times they set up a ball-handler for 1-on-1 scores. Compared to a team like the Rockets however it wasn’t just one star playing isolation ball, it was multiple ball-handlers using isolation to take advantage of mismatches coming off screens. D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Caris LeVert all thrived from isolation opportunities which then lead to career years from the bunch.

If Fleming brings that to the Bulls, then Zach Lavine, Coby White, and a potential third ball-handler from the draft could all play huge roles in Chicago for the future. Beyond isolation, the Fleming offense would also work for the Chicago personnel due to its heavy usage of screening from pick-and-roll to flare screens.

Last year’s Nets were 7th in pick-and-roll play frequency again taking advantage of multiple ball-handlers to combo roll-man Jarrett Allen while also using pick-and-roll sets to get 3-point shots out of the pick-and-roll.

With a roll man in Wendell Carter, a stretch shooter in Lauri Markkanen, and their ball-handlers this is something Chicago can again look to replicate. Adding to the heavy screen usage Fleming also had the Nets ranked 4th in flare screen frequency meaning that Brooklyn consistently used screens to get non-ball handlers open for easy 3’s, a model Chicago again could benefit from.

The Chicago Bulls potentially hiring Fleming

Chris Fleming feels like he should be a lead candidate to be the head coach in Chicago and the Bulls should look to hire him before he interviews with the New York Knicks. Even though he has only been a head coach overseas, his impact as an assistant has been important to a team that grew to playoff contention.

It was Fleming’s offense and teaching that blended so well with Kenny Atkinson’s no-nonsense and defensive strategies that made the Nets relevant again.

With Fleming on their staff right now, Chicago shouldn’t let him walk out the door. Arturas Karnisovas should recognize how good of a coach Fleming can be and do everything to keep him in Chicago.

With an added defensive coordinator and possibly bringing in some defensive schemes he learned under Atkinson, Fleming could really make the Bulls roster thrive again. Something it hasn’t done since the peak of Derrick Rose.

Having a roster filled with young talent and more coming from this year’s lottery pick the right move for Chicago would be to hire Fleming and let him be a teacher to grow the Bulls back as Karnisovas continues to fill the roster out around the young stars. If the Bulls do, they might find themselves back in playoff contention just like Brooklyn did.