Predicting Billy Donovan’s Starting 5 and Bulls Rotation originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Presented by Jeff Vukovich, Nationwide Insurance Agent

Name it The Chicago Bulls start at five. It’s not as easy as you might think.

A logical attempt at Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vučević could be too defensively challenged by coach Billy Donovan. It also raises the question of whether the team is relying enough on the youth movement undertaken by management. But it remains a safe bet.

Name the Bulls’ nine- or 10-man rotation. It’s not as simple as you might think.

Ayo Dosunnu and Jalen Smith It seems that these are the only locks. Lonzo BallScott Hearn’s near-unprecedented comeback attempt after a cartilage transplant, three left knee surgeries and more than 2 1/2 years away from NBA action still faces the daunting task of training camp.

And who knows if the competitive advantage and physical style that Matas Buzelis The performance he gets in the NBA Summer League will translate into the regular season. Donovan hasn’t been the type of coach to hand out free minutes.

So it’s a very intriguing exercise. And as players begin to arrive at the Advocate Center in the coming weeks in preparation for next month’s training camp, here’s a guess:

The case of Giddey, White, LaVine, Williams, Vučević

This represents the most logical possibility.

Giddey is the shiny new toy, acquired in the Alex Caruso trade, and coming from a role for Australia at the Paris Olympics that he will likely replicate with the Bulls – ball-dominant playmaker.

White is hitting the lab again this offseason, not resting on his laurels as a finalist for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. White proved he could be a playmaker last season. But with Giddey’s arrival, he can play on or off the ball, further highlighting his strengths.

With DeMar DeRozan signed and traded to Sacramento, his backup in Williams will need to be more productive in a bigger role. It’s essential that he starts as the primary defender in this lineup.

As for the starters, LaVine’s tenuous future is the starting point for some uncertainty. He’ll almost certainly be in a reduced-usage role for the second straight season given Giddey’s arrival and White’s rise. But bringing him off the bench seems like a surefire way to torpedo any chance of a professional partnership, not to mention further harm his trade value.

Likewise, starting Jalen Smith in place of Vučević just to fully rely on a youth movement would be another massive shock.

Rotary locks

Dosunmu has handled everything thrown at him with aplomb during his three stellar seasons in Chicago. Start him out of the rotation; he’ll eventually come back. Start him, bring him off the bench, he’ll bring his two-way toughness. He’s guaranteed to get minutes.

The same goes for Smith, who was brought in to fit in with the youth movement and bring his unique skill set and athleticism to the second unit.

From that perspective, they’re the only rotation locks. Ball’s health is too uncertain. Buzelis is just one of several recent draft picks — Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips — the Bulls are trying to develop, albeit the most high-profile.

Plea for a 10-man rotation

In the past, Donovan has sometimes played 10 players deep, but he has preferred to stick with a nine-man rotation. That has meant plenty of minutes for DeRozan and White and, before last season, LaVine.

Given the number of development projects on the Bulls’ hands and the uncertainty surrounding Ball’s health, a 10-man rotation makes more sense. Especially since if Ball manages to finish training camp to continue his comeback attempt, he will almost certainly be on a minutes restriction during the regular season.

Assuming Ball is healthy, slot him in as the eighth rotation piece, joining Dosunmu and Smith.

Buzelis against Torrey Craig This is where the real battle begins. Given that Craig will be a professional in any role and that he is an experienced mentor whose contract is expiring, expect Buzelis and the youth movement to prevail. This is new.

This leaves room for four players: Terry, Phillips, Chris Duarte And Jevon Carter. Given that Terry has the size to defend on bigger players, it’s safe to assume he’ll be the first to play. Phillips showed promising signs last season, so he can’t be ruled out in what will surely be a fluid situation.

Duarte and Carter appear to be sidelined for now. We think. For a team that most bookmakers predict won’t make the playoffs, predicting the rotation isn’t as easy as you might think.

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