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BullsH1T202324, just down the bull's head but up the heart - Wenell Carter Jr

BullsH1T202324, just down the bull's head but up the heart - Wenell Carter Jr.

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The "Just down the bull's head but up the heart" series focuses on players who have recently left the Chicago Bulls and moved to other teams. The first article in this series discussed Lauri Markkanen and was completed last September. I am delighted that he has validated my belief in him during his time with the Utah Jazz. Now, let's talk about Wendell Carter Jr., who was traded to the Orlando Magic as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade.

But the discussion points I want to focus on are not just about the success or failure of this trade, as his current performance along with Franz Wagner can already determine that. Nor is it about WCJ's development with the Magic, as I do not have enough knowledge to provide a better judgment on that. What I want to discuss is whether the Bulls had better options at the time, even in hindsight.

  • The trade dilemma caused by developmental issues Is it all his fault? Before discussing Wendell Carter Jr.'s trade, let's take a look at WCJ when he was traded and WCJ in the Orlando Magic. Can they be compared? To put it bluntly, when the Chicago Bulls traded WCJ, many Bulls fans disliked his on-court performance and felt that the 7th overall pick was wasted.

When I say "many Bulls fans," it means that it wasn't my view at the time. I believe WCJ did face challenges and difficulties, but it included factors such as coaching and team composition, not just his individual abilities.

At this point, I want to discuss something. A phenomenon is often caused by various factors and effects to different extents. For example, when we mentioned earlier that WCJ couldn't overcome the coaching and team composition issues, we are not saying that the player has no ability to solve it autonomously or that the player doesn't need to take responsibility. We need to consider to what extent and under what circumstances the player should be held accountable. The reason I bring up this concept is that we need to discuss who should be held responsible for WCJ's challenges, and many people believe it is Jim Boylen. But when I say "many people," it means I have some differing views.

  • Not knowing what happened before the problems arose I don't know the age range of friends here, but do you remember a character named Wang Yuyan in Jin Yong's novels? She didn't possess martial arts skills herself, but she had a deep understanding of martial arts, and through her guidance, she could greatly enhance the effectiveness of her allies in battles.

In NBA games, occasionally, there are players with similar qualities. Their unique skills and talents, coupled with their understanding of the game, always allow them to unite their teammates and bring out performances that surpass their individual talents.

To put it in less martial arts terms, they possess the effects of a "Glue Guy" and a catalyst. On one hand, they bring together many individual and team aspects of the game, and on the other hand, they catalyze better chemistry on the court. So if you find such a rare player, wouldn't you want to maximize their qualities in your team composition? Good and lucky examples are Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Poor examples are Lonzo Ball and Otto Porter Jr. from the Chicago Bulls. As for OPJ, besides his recent role as an important bench player for the Golden State Warriors in the 2021-22 season, does he possess the unique qualities I mentioned to the same extent? In OPJ's performance after being traded from the Washington Wizards to the Bulls in the 2018-19 season, he achieved the following statistics: - Points: 17.5 - Rebounds: 5.5 - Assists: 2.7 - Steals: 1.2 - Blocks: 0.6 - Shooting percentages: 48.3/48.8/90.6 - Average 2.6 three-pointers made per game

To describe it qualitatively, at that time, OPJ was a versatile forward who could defend from the wing to the rim, act as a secondary defender, and serve as a defensive leader. On the offensive end, he had ball-handling skills, transition playmaking abilities, the ability to space the floor, and a high shooting accuracy, both in pull-up and catch-and-shoot situations.