Bulls have to balance rest and rhythm as play-in game approaches

The Bulls starting lineup on Friday was Coby White, Onuralp Bitim, Dalen Terry, Torrey Craig, and at starting center all 6-foot-5 of Javonte Green.

Yep, that time of the NBA season.

With the Bulls clinching the No. 9 seed and the home play-in game against Atlanta, and no way of that changing, coach Billy Donovan used the game against the Wizards to not only get a look at some of his depth, but more importantly get veterans DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso some much needed rest.

How long that rest would be was still up in the air.

The Bulls have an off-day in New York on Saturday, before wrapping up the regular season Sunday afternoon against the Knicks. What Donovan was still weighing was rest versus rhythm.

He does want to get guys off their feet, especially DeRozan who was leading the league in total minutes played most of the season, but he also wants to make sure that his players stay locked in for the play-in game against the Hawks.

“Now that everything is solidified on where we’re at, I think the load of a back-to-back is certainly a lot,” Donovan said. “Back-to-backs are hard for everybody. We’ll probably talk after the game, tomorrow, about the New York game in terms of their availability.

“When you talk about a guy’s rhythm and playing, there is a sensitivity to those guys on what they need, and that’s the conversation that needs to take place after the game with DeMar, like where are they at.”

There’s a good chance that DeRozan, Vucevic and Caruso would get normal first half minutes against the Knicks, start the third quarter off in normal rotation, and then be pulled after that, but the players will let Donovan know what they are comfortable with.

The other factor on Sunday will be what happens with the two injured players in Ayo Dosunmu (quadricep contusion) and Andre Drummond (left ankle)?

Dosunmu has now missed three games with the injury, while Drummond missed his second straight game.

“In my conversations with both those guys they feel like they’re getting closer to playing, but medical will make the decision on whether or not there’s any kind of risk there,” Donovan said. “I know in talking to Andre, he was hopeful that he could play against New York, but again there hasn’t been much opportunity for him to run around and play.”

Drummond was still in and out of wearing a boot, but Donovan explained that as more precautionary in just keeping the weight off.

Green day

Donovan hasn’t been surprised with Green transitioning back into the mix since being signed from the G-League last month, but considering how long he was rehabbing from knee surgery, what he’s done on the court has been somewhat of an eye-opener.

That included a 20-point first half against the Wizards.

“I really felt like the transition would be a smooth one because he’s played with these guys and I think he knows these guys,” Donovan said. “The biggest thing was the limited amount of time he had to play because of his rehab from his knee. To me he does not look like he’s lost any athleticism. He’s high motor, high energy and you know what you are going to get from him every night. He’s been obviously a huge bright spot for us and made a huge impact.”