The man nobody is talking about this summer is the same man who spends endless amount of time in the gym working on his craft. Yes, we’re talking about Tony Snell. The x-factor that never became any sort of factor in the regular season. With spotty minutes and an undefined role with the team, Tony Snell took the worse end of the deal as his performance remained inconsistent under the Tom Thibodeau regime.
Tony Snell has a chance to fix his image with the Bulls and finally live up to his potential. The Bulls are really hoping that Jimmy Butler and Tony Snell will be what Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler should have been; at least what could have been. The potential is there, but more importantly the opportunity is there as well.
Tony Snell played 22 games last season as a starter as he averaged 9.0 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 52.3% from behind the arc. Snell clearly had superior stats over Mike Dunleavy as a starter to go along with better defense.
Last season, Mike Dunleavy Jr started for the Bulls at small-forward and averaged 9.4 points per game while shooting 40.3% from behind the arc. Dunleavy, age 35, is a savvy veteran but he’s beginning to compromise the Bulls’ potential on the defensive end. The Bulls need to go younger and more athletic at the small-forward position, especially since Pau Gasol or Joakim Noah will be starting as well; Hoiberg would need to balance out the starting-five.
There’s a few options for the Bulls to pick if they’re trying to go younger at the small-forward position. It’s important to choose a player who fits in well alongside both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler to maximize their skill set on the court. One option would be Doug McDermott, a player who’s highly expected by the Bulls management to find success under Fred Hoiberg. McDermott plays a similar style as Mike Dunleavy, but at age 23 he brings youth to the lineup. Biggest concern for McDermott is his defense. While Dunleavy as able to hold his own on the defensive end, McDermott needs a lot of work before he can keep up with the rest of the NBA’s small-forwards on the defensive end.
Tony Snell seems to be the most prominent answer before the season starts. The starting five is unknown going into training camp. Sam Smith reported earlier this summer that Gasol and Noah would not be starting together, which leaves Mirotic or Gibson to fill in that role. Hoiberg wouldn’t want to go with too much offense or too much defense at once, so the starting power-forward could affect who starts at the small-forward position. Ideally, if Gasol or Mirotic are thrown into a starting role, it’s safer to assume Snell gets the nod over McDermott if Hoiberg decides Dunleavy should come off the bench.
Tony Snell is going into his third season with the Chicago Bulls, he is poised to have a breakout season resembling to his mentor, Jimmy Butler. Snell is a gifted shooter and proved he can launch it from behind the arc in college, but he hasn’t found the same shooting success in the NBA. Snell shot 37.5% from behind the arc last season, which is identical to Butler’s percentage from behind the arc. Snell has the potential to be a threat on both ends of the court on a nightly basis. At 6’7, his long arms and quick feet already make him the Bulls second best perimeter defender behind Butler.
With an aging Dunleavy and the starting lineup up for grabs, Tony Snell has a real shot from being a bench player to a starter next to Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose. It’ll be up to Snell perform at a high level, but the job is there for the taking.
