Bulls coach Billy Donovan prefers to keep his starting lineup close to the vest, but that doesn’t mean it’s hard to decipher which of his power forwards has proved worthy of the opening-night start next Wednesday against the Heat.
Entering the preseason finale Tuesday against the Bucks, Javonte Green had been the more impressive candidate through the preseason, averaging 16.7 points on 77.3% shooting from the field in three games. Patrick Williams had averaged 7.3 points on 33.3% shooting in those games.
Donovan continued his experimentation at the position Sunday by starting Derrick Jones Jr. there, but he tapped Green to start the third quarter. Before the game Tuesday, his message of confidence in Green and Williams continued.
‘‘Both guys have played well,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Even though [Williams] didn’t shoot the ball particularly well last game, I still think he’s played well. He’s had a good preseason the way he’s played.’’
Beyond staying healthy, there hasn’t been anything particularly inspiring about Williams’ play in the preseason. In fact, the best he looked was Friday against the Nuggets — after losing his starting spot to Green. Donovan, however, said it wasn’t a demotion.
Donovan has reiterated a desire to see Williams tap into his aggressiveness and create shots for himself. That seems more attainable for Williams on the second unit, out of the shadow cast by DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
‘‘To play with them is to help them get into their groove,’’ Williams said after the game against the Nuggets. ‘‘When they play better, we play better. With that second group, it’s whoever has it.’’
The Bulls’ starting lineup Tuesday was far from what it will be in the regular-season opener, with DeRozan and LaVine sitting out to rest. Ayo Dosunmu remained the starter at point guard, but Donovan had Coby White in for LaVine and rookie Dalen Terry in for DeRozan.
Williams started at power forward and didn’t play passively, but that doesn’t say a lot, given that Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez were out for the Bucks.
‘‘I feel comfortable with both of them,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘That’s not to say that on opening night whoever is starting will stay the same the whole way.’’
Terry talk
Donovan has encouraged Terry to watch more film in his time away from the court to accelerate his ability to assess opponents defensively. Terry is going to be asked to lock down some of the NBA’s top talent on the wings. If he wants to become a mainstay in Donovan’s rotation, he must show he can.
‘‘The biggest adjustment for Dalen in talking to him is the amount of time he has that is free,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘What kind of routine guys get into once they leave the building is really critical. If you want to be good at your job, there’s time you have to invest outside of your job to be good at it.’’
