What happens with Billy Donovan’s bank is this: it is purposeful, not punitive.
So when the Bulls coach decided to put Coby White, Patrick Williams and Wendell Carter Jr. in favor of the veterans Tomáš Satoranský, Denzel Valentine and Thad Young to start the second half on Wednesday, he did it to reward the players who closed the first half with force, mainly defensively.
Perhaps more importantly, he showed confidence in the bank’s players who contributed powerfully to a ridiculous 25-point deficit in the first half by closing the Bulls’ 105-102 victory over the Pistons with them.
And what do you know? Carter finished with 18 points and helped with a more aggressive and physical defensive effort in the second half. White took a big 3 point lead with 61 seconds remaining for a four point lead. And Williams scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth period, including a huge 3-point basket with 29 seconds remaining.
At first, Donovan tried to minimize any message sent to young players in his post-game comments.
“I was like, ‘Listen, I’m going to put the guys that I really feel are going to line up defensively and try to get as much as we can,’ he said.
But there is always a purpose in the ways of the veteran coach.
“I’m sure these guys are probably very disappointed that they didn’t get a chance to start the third quarter, ”he said. “They see the way the other guys did and the fact that we kind of got back into the game, and now there’s a little more responsibility for them to do the things they know they have control over. I give them credit for keeping their heads in the game.
“I hope those guys sitting there enjoy the minutes they receive and the opportunity to play. Other guys stepped forward. But it’s not like I don’t trust these guys. It was just a matter of not competing at the level we needed.
“I thought the right thing to do with the bank was to help Zach (LaVine) to shoot him. Obviously, Patrick took a straight shot when the ball found him in the corner and so did Coby. And these were two guys that I didn’t think were particularly good at either end of the court in that first half. As professionals, you expect them to go to the locker room, they regroup, they realize that there will be some changes: ‘When my number is called again, I have to get ready and prepare.’ And I think these guys did that. “
And perhaps as a sign of how a young team is maturing as the season progresses, these young players did it without much effort.
“This it was just a learning experience, ”said White. “I personally needed to grow up a little bit – to let the strokes affect the way I play. I have to compete at both ends of the court. Accept a challenge and continue to move forward and do what you can to help my team win. “
What Donovan is trying to do with his young players is to make them understand how they can affect games even on nights when kicks aren’t falling. This effort and competitiveness cannot have an on-off button. That controlling what you can control – running for defense, boxing, following the game plan – is essential.
Because the shots will fall on some nights and not on others. But the commitment to winning can never.
“The coach will challenge you; I think he said it a lot this year, I think they responded and it shows a lot of confidence that he has in them to play against them, ”said LaVine of the reserve players. “I think he just wanted to send a message and make it work a little. I think they responded well. “
Donovan talked about building championship habits. He and his team are doing what they did on Wednesday night. There is a standard of play that must be met to obtain playing time.
And there is full adherence and acceptance of this message, which is also being delivered by veterans like Young and Garrett Temple.
“I told Pat it was a big shot. He’s young, so he probably didn’t even think he was a big shot, ”said Young, laughing, about Williams’s 3-point delay. “We needed this. I said the same to Coby.
“They didn’t start in the second half, I just talked to Wendell and Coby and made them understand the ‘why’. Mostly, we weren’t getting any energy and the pace wasn’t where it needed to be. Therefore, the veteran unit that the coach (Donovan) decided to start in the second half, we knew that we had to start well, not only offensively, but defensively. “
It worked because, after all, there is a purpose, not punishment, in Donovan’s decisions.
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