Bulls lose West Coast finale but get some progress on Jaden Ivey front
LOS ANGELES – Jaden Ivey has his coach’s vote of confidence.
Does that mean the guard will be back with the Bulls and with Billy Donovan next season? Too early to answer that, especially since he will be a restricted free agent this summer. But in the talks Donovan has had with the medical team, he sounded optimistic that Ivey will return to the player he was coming out of Purdue and his first three seasons in Detroit before he fractured his leg.
“I think I have a pretty good feel for him as a player when he’s healthy,” Donovan said Friday. “He was really explosive, downhill, two-way player, can defend, really improved his shooting. The biggest thing I would want to know from our medical guys, and I have talked a little bit about this is, ‘OK, does a summer really bring his strength back?’ That would be my biggest thing.
“Our medical guys, when I’ve spoken to them, they feel really, really optimistic and positive that he will regain that strength, but strength doesn’t necessarily come back just like that. It’s going to take a period of time.”
Steps were taken in that direction as Ivey was assigned to the G League Windy City Bulls, got a workout with them back in Chicago, and could work out with the NBA roster on Sunday.
Considering how Friday against the Clippers worked out, the Bulls could use the help.
Playing in the finale of a five-game West Coast trip, the Bulls (27-40) looked like it, a step behind the home team most of the night in the 119-108 loss.
They did finish the trip 2-3, which wasn’t ideal for the tanking effort, but did give them some good moments moving beyond this season. Matas Buzelis had a solid series, including a career night (41 points) against the Warriors, and Josh Giddey registered his 11th triple-double of the season, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
As for Ivey, who was acquired in the Kevin Huerter trade, maybe he makes it back to help, but time isn’t on his side.
“I think a lot of it is going to be predicated on where his strength is at,” Donovan said of him possibly returning. “The improvement and growth he’s made in the strength area.”
Career mark
Giddey entered the finale of the West Coast trip shooting a career-best 38.7% from three-point range this season, after setting that mark last year with the Bulls ay 37.8%.
What’s been the change for Giddey?
“He’s really put a lot of time into it to his credit,” Donovan said. “I think my responsibility is to give him confidence on the ones he’s supposed to take and clearly he’s a guy that has done a terrific job of getting into the paint. He’s got to have the balance between sometimes guys are backing up to contain the dribble and those shots are there. I think he’s taking good ones. The more he can take that shot and he’s shooting it well, it’s going to open up his game.”
Medical tent
The Bulls did get Patrick Williams back on the floor against the Clippers, after he was dealing with left ankle soreness, but while one forward was back in, another went out.
Because Jalen Smith has been hampered with a calf strain, the Bulls opted to sit him in the back end of the back-to-back.