As soon as Bulls guard Rob Dillingham’s turnover led to a Brandon Ingram three-pointer and a Bulls timeout, fans knew that he would be coming out of the game.
The Bulls made clear that they were prioritizing their veteran guards on Thursday. Dillingham was the 11th man, and guard Jaden Ivey did not play in the Bulls’ 110-101 loss against the Raptors.
Dillingham is used to playing under a microscope. He was drafted No. 8 overall to an ascending Timberwolves team that made the Western Conference Finals during his rookie year. Every mistake was magnified given the championship aspirations.
But, in Chicago, he was supposed to be removed from those lofty expectations. The Bulls were supposed to afford Dillingham a runway to explore his immense offensive talents. In the last game before the All-Star break, Dillingham played a season-high 30 minutes and scored 16 points.
But that heavy minutes total came when guards Tre Jones and Josh Giddey were sidelined with hamstring injuries. The Bulls were at full strength Thursday, and development inexplicably took a backseat.
The outcome of games should be secondary for the Bulls at this juncture. But the coaching staff not prioritizing the two young guards they added shows a lack of foresight and isn’t instilling any confidence for a fan base growing restless.
But with the roster at full strength, Dillingham didn’t enter the game until the 2:18 mark of the first quarter. Ivey was relegated to the bench. Minimizing Ivey and Dillingham’s roles does no good for the Bulls going forward. Ivey will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Bulls have to make a decision on Dillingham’s third-year option in the fall.
Dillingham talked when he first came to Chicago about how he lost his confidence in Minnesota. He’s a dynamic offensive talent who can break his man down off the dribble. Dillingham showed both what makes him a tantalizing offensive player and so maddening.
He drilled a fourth-quarter three as the Bulls had trimmed the Raptors’ double-digit lead to single digits, and he also turned the ball over which led to a Ja’Kobe Walter three and forced the Bulls to call timeout and yank Dillingham from the lineup.
It’s far too early to determine if Dillingham or Ivey are worth keeping beyond their current contracts, but playing them is the only way to find out.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said one of his goals heading into the trade deadline was acquiring players who would mesh with the core of forwards Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue, and Giddey. Dillingham said he enjoys playing off the ball, having gained ample experience at Kentucky alongside guards Reed Shepphard and DJ Wagner.
“I like Josh’s game because he can do everything,” Dillingham said at shootaround. “He can guard one through five, shoot the ball, get to the rim and he can pass the ball. In college, I played off the ball a lot. Playing off the ball is easier for me to play in transition, get kicks. Playing with Josh is easy for me because I don’t really be needing the ball.”
The Bulls are 1-10 in their last 11 after Thursday’s loss when they prioritized their veteran guards. Acquiring players like Dillingham and Ivey and not playing them is another half-measure for Karnisovas and the organization.