The Dwyane Wade Effect isn’t just a phenomenon that has helped Jimmy Butler.
It’s helped the coaching staff, it’s helped the locker room chemistry. Heck, it’s even made a front office that’s taken handfuls of criticism the last few seasons be able to duck out of the crosshairs.
It’s amazing what the addition of a true professional has done for the Bulls organization when they needed it most.
So with a second unit that is still struggling to find an identity and some consistency, what does Wade do? The veteran has jumped in the way of the bullets fired in their direction.
“I’m the leader of the second unit and that was not how we’ve been winning games,’’ Wade said, when discussing the bench play for the Bulls on the 4-2 Circus Trip. “It’s not losing confidence. It’s just that everyone is speeding up a little bit.’’
OK, Wade does work with the second unit. Let’s give him that.
The way Fred Hoiberg runs the rotations on most nights is Wade is pulled from the starting lineup in the first quarter, gets a breather, and then enters in the second quarter to help anchor the bench, whether that means play the role of facilitator or scorer.
And while it’s hard to pick on a Bulls team that enters the week 10-6, and is playing above early-season expectation, the bench has been an Achilles Heel as of late.
Last week in Utah, the group held the Jazz to 17 second-quarter points, but only scored 16 themselves, on a night that Nikola Mirotic could only give them 21 minutes of work because of shaky defense. A game later against the Clippers, Los Angeles reserve Marreese Speights outscored the entire Bulls bench 16-15. The Los Angeles Lakers’ bench outscored the Bulls bench 59-32 a night later, and then Denver happened.
After the starters built up a 31-19 lead to begin the game, the bench allowed the Nuggets to score 22 consecutive points, as Denver took a 41-31 lead.
There was a little more life from the unit in the blowout win over the 76ers Friday night, but again, it was the 76ers. Judge with extreme caution.
The asterisk with all of this, however, is the fact that the group is down some important bodies. Maybe that’s why coach Fred Hoiberg is seeing the glass half-full.
“The bench, looking at the numbers, has been pretty solid for us,’’ Hoiberg said. “We got off to a tough start in L.A. [against the Clippers] in the second quarter and then the bench played well the rest of the game.
“We still have confidence in them. The young guys are getting a chance to get out there and play, and again we have confidence in those guys.’’
But then Hoiberg acknowledged, “Doug [McDermott] is a guy obviously that we miss.’’
That’s why this group is working next to an asterisk.
McDermott missed the entire Circus Trip with a concussion, which meant the bench had to be stretched out. Not that McDermott is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate by any means, but he had been Hoiberg’s first guy off the pine, and when playing with Wade or Jimmy Butler gives the Bulls a legitimate drive-and-kick presence from beyond the three-point line.
Add in Michael Carter-Williams still recovering from a bone chip in his left wrist, as well as a bone bruise in his left knee, Hoiberg is hoping that help is on the way.
“Those guys can ball,’’ veteran Taj Gibson said of the second unit. “I face them all the time in practice. Trust me, they can ball out.’’
