There will be better days.
Jimmy Butler has to believe that about his bench.
That’s what the two-time All-Star was holding onto, especially after yet another disappointing performance by the second unit in the 25-point loss to a four-win Dallas team on Saturday night.
The way Butler saw it, there was too much young talent, too many high-energy guys for the bench not to start finding a rhythm.
“A lot of confidence in them,’’ Butler said, when asked about the bench. “But I think they need to have more confidence in themselves than we can put in them. That’s all it comes down to. We’ve got some really good players, but they have to believe it first before anybody else can.’’
If confidence has been the underlying problem, it was on full display against the Mavericks.
Bobby Portis still looks confused with shot selection and defense, Jerian Grant disappears at times, Denzel Valentine still looks like a rookie, and Doug McDermott (concussion) and Michael Carter-Williams (wrist/knee) are still dealing with injuries.
All five are first-round picks from either the Bulls or other organizations.
Then there’s Cristiano Felicio, who played like a promising big man late last year, but seems to have taken some steps back, and was not getting much playing time.
But the poster boy for a bench gone wrong has been Nikola Mirotic.
Yes, he started in the loss to Dallas, filling in for a resting Dwyane Wade, but his inconsistencies headline the season-long issues of this group.
“Right now we’re struggling with the bench group to get the ball in the basket,’’ Hoiberg said. “That’s something where we’re going to continue to try and preach confidence to them and get them to play well, get them to try and go out there and play with energy. Again, give us a lift when we need them.’’
Hoiberg did acknowledge that there should be improvement with the group simply by McDermott and Carter-Williams returning.
“Well, those guys are key pieces to our bench,’’ Hoiberg said. “They were playing very good early. Doug had a 23-point game against Indiana. Michael is a guy that who plays with great energy every time he’s on the floor. He can defend multiple positions, get into the paint, give you another play-maker. So yeah, sure, those guys being out has affected our bench.’’
The head-scratcher for some of the Bulls starters in all of this, however, is the fact that the bench players compete at such a high level in practices and scrimmages. Now it’s about taking that, and carrying it out to the court when the lights shine the brightest.
“They’re competing,’’ veteran guard Rajon Rondo said. “I mean sometimes they beat the first squad. But it’s a team game. It’s 15 guys. In this locker room we don’t point the finger at each other.’’
That’s definitely the case, but the starters also know that if that confidence is lacking, there is a logical solution.
“You’ve got to remind these guys that everybody is not a top five pick, where they come in right away and be ‘the guy.’ [Besides a few players] everybody else had to work their way up,’’ Butler said. “Work, work, show that you deserve to be out there, and when the chance presents itself go out there and show what you’re capable of. I think that’s what we have to keep these young guys, the bench, even the starters, realizing. Work is what’s going to get you out there, and production is what’s going to keep you out there.’’
