With a few minutes left in the first quarter Thursday against the Timberwolves, coach Billy Donovan unleashed his latest version of the “Death Lineup.’’
It wasn’t the ideal time to go small and it wasn’t the best matchup with 7-1 glass-wiper Rudy Gobert lurking in the paint, but it was the last preseason game, so Donovan figured, “Why not?’’
Well, he found out quickly why not. The Bulls’ small-ball grouping of Patrick Williams, Torrey Craig, Alex Caruso, Jevon Carter and DeMar DeRozan saw a three-point deficit quickly turn into eight.
Right idea, wrong time?
It seems likely, but it’s a puzzle Donovan will continue to work on during the regular season.
And maybe rookie Julian Phillips can squeeze through that crack.
Ever since the Warriors were holding up championship trophies thanks to their vaunted original “Death Lineup’’ of Andre Iguodala, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, every NBA coach has his own version of a small-ball lineup built on defense and taking advantage of bigger, slower teams.
In Donovan’s version the last few seasons, Derrick Jones Jr. often seemed to be a key piece.
At 6-6, with a 7-foot wingspan and the vertical leap of an adult kangaroo on a Red Bull bender, Jones was the perfect undersized five. He was deceptively strong and an able rim protector.
But Jones was allowed to walk this summer and signed with the Mavericks, leaving a vacancy.
Williams and Craig were the early candidates to replace Jones, but there’s not enough of a sample size to make Donovan feel good about it.
“I think we’re going to have to have a small-ball lineup at some point,’’ Donovan said. “You just have to have that. I don’t know if I necessarily put [Thursday’s grouping] in the best situation, quite honestly. I kind of put those guys in there when Gobert was back in the game. We probably wouldn’t go small in that situation.
“We haven’t done much of that. Whether Patrick is the five or Torrey is the five, that may be something we can look to go to in the future when we want to play smaller.’’
Phillips definitely has his hand up as a volunteer.
As was the case with Jones, no teammate can jump with Phillips. His 43-inch vertical leap was the best at the draft combine. He also led the Bulls in blocked shots during the preseason with four, including a nasty fourth-quarter denial against Minnesota.
A second-round pick, Phillips is 6-8 and a bit thicker than Jones, and he understands that his path to playing time will have to come on the defensive end.
“That’s definitely something we harp on a lot — defense,’’ Phillips said. “You get that shot . . . you have to have that mentality that all five guys are going to stay connected. You get that opportunity, you need to be ready to defend at that level, lock down somebody.’’
And that’s all Phillips is looking for right now. The roster is filled with veterans, and he’s on the outside looking in for a rotation spot to start the season.
It’s a waiting game, and maybe he’ll audition for the “Death Lineup’’ at some point this season.
“We have a veteran team, so just seeing their work ethic and how they got to where they’re at, you talk to them, hear the stories on how they weren’t out there right away,’’ Phillips said. “That’s why there’s that common ground of consistency and coming in here every day to put the work in. Stick with it day in and day out, wait for that opportunity.’’
