It appears that Paul Zipser isn’t leaving the rotation anytime soon.
That’s either an indication of the Bulls landing a solid second-round draft pick last summer or an indictment of the roster.
Bet on the latter.
Fred Hoiberg said that Zipser — the 48th overall pick — has shown more than enough to not only stick in the rotation, but he has emerged as an early go-to option off the bench, surpassing first-round picks Denzel Valentine and Doug McDermott.
“The thing with Paul, that first game I started him at New York [last week], the Garden, to be matched up at times with Carmelo Anthony, tells you everything you need to know,” Hoiberg said Monday. “He looked right in my eyes and said, ‘I gotcha, Coach. I’m ready to go.’ I thought he performed well, and since that point he’s given us really good minutes.”
After that loss to the Knicks, Zipser didn’t play against the Pelicans, but he saw quality minutes in the win over the Grizzlies and the losses to the Mavericks and Hawks.
On Saturady against the Kings, Zipser was the first player off the bench and played 23 minutes. He had 13 points and four rebounds and was part of the closing unit.
“Talking about late-game situations, Paul got that one loose ball for us at the end, and we scored off of it with under a minute to go,” Hoiberg said. “He’s going to give you a good effort defensively. He can move his feet, sneaky athleticism to go out there and battle and not be afraid. And again, that goes back to Paul’s career and where he played in Europe against high-level competition.”
From the German League to the Bulls’ sixth man. Who saw that coming?
When asked if Zipser did enough to keep that role, Hoiberg said, “He has, yeah. He plays both sides of the floor. He showed great anticipation with his feet defensively. He’s shooting the ball with a lot more confidence than he was earlier in the year. He’s been really good for us. So, yeah, he’ll stay in the rotation.”
To Hoiberg, the key is Zipser plays both ends of the floor. McDermott and Nikola Mirotic are defensively challenged at times, and Zipser might make Mirotic, who’s being shopped, easier to part with.
Now Hoiberg has to balance winning with developing the youth on the bench. With Zipser passing first-round picks so quickly, that’s not the easiest course to maneuver.
“The thing you look for is consistency with your rotation,’’ Hoiberg said. “You’ve got to play the guys that are out there performing on that particular night.
“The big thing is, obviously, to keep [their spirits] up. Denzel has had opportunities, and he’s played well. Doug has had [moments]. It’s just going to be different guys on different nights with this team, and that’s just the way it’s probably going to be. Everybody just has to be ready.’’
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Email: jcowley@suntimes.com
