TORONTO — Bulls coach Billy Donovan isn’t trying to remake Lonzo Ball in point guard Coby White. But he’d like to see White embrace a few of Ball’s philosophies — specifically moving the ball up the floor with more urgency, whether the opposing offense has just made or missed a basket.
It definitely wouldn’t hurt. The Bulls are dead last in the NBA in pacing.
“We would always invite advancing the ball up the floor, kicking it up and kicking it ahead,” Donovan said Friday. “Not to say that Coby can’t or Zach [LaVine] can’t or DeMar [DeRozan] can’t. . . . But where Lonzo was elite . . . is there are point guards on missed shots that when the rebound happens, they understand how the floor is balanced. It’s like the ball is coming to him, and, ‘You know what? There’s three guys on this side of the floor, and there’s only two defenders.’ He knows right away where that thing is going to be launched. One dribble and it’s gone. It’s something he’s just great at.”
And it’s something the Bulls haven’t been able to replace since Ball underwent three surgeries on his left knee, putting his NBA future in doubt. He hasn’t played in a game since January 2022, and the Bulls have offered no updates since announcing he’d be out this season.
Donovan said he’s pleased with White’s growth at point guard, even from opening night to now. In particular, he praised White’s ability to play catch-and-shoot and drive off that to attack the rim. The balance between scoring and moving the ball remains a work in progress for White, but he has been a fairly quick learner.
Ball’s intangibles just can’t be duplicated.
“The passes that are the most difficult to guard on advanced passes are when the ball gets advanced across the floor,” Donovan said. “Lonzo could create a situation where it’s four-on-four to four-on-three. He had that ability. And part of it is we’ve got to get up the floor. Every-body has to help with that.”
Two steps forward . . .
Forward Patrick Williams still isn’t a model of consistency, but since moving from a starting role to the second unit, the No. 4 overall pick of 2020 has shown new life. Averaging about five minutes less per game off the bench, he has seen his scoring average go up from 5.6 points to 6.4, while his average plus/minus has jumped from a minus-7.1 to a plus-8.9.
Donovan sees him playing more aggressively. The next step is consistency.
“The aggressiveness is not always scoring, but the offensive rebounds, running the floor, putting the ball on the floor,” Donovan said. “There are differences for him in that. I feel like that’s what he’s responsible to figure out, and the last few games, he’s been a lot more aggressive and a lot more physical. We just need a sustained mentality from him all the time. Can he do it night after night?”
Williams finished with 12 points and five rebounds in just shy of 22 minutes in the Bulls’ loss to the Raptors on Friday night.
Technically speaking
If there were any questions about Bulls players still caring about this season as they entered Friday’s game at 5-11, those questions were somewhat answered in the first half when DeRozan, center Andre Drummond and guard Jevon Carter each was hit with a technical foul.
