The concerns were real when Billy Donovan announced his new-look starting lineup late last month.
After all, putting Alex Caruso and Patrick Beverley in the starting lineup for Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams was giving away about five inches and 40 pounds.
As the Bulls have been reminded of, however, you can’t use measurements when it comes to heart and guts.
That’s what Donovan has added to the core of Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Caruso and Beverley play defense because they approach it like a craft rather than a chore. They embrace disruption, and turn 50-50 balls into 80-20 in their favor.
The Bulls have gone 5-3 since the new look, and Donovan wants his players to understand that with 15 regular-season games left, that attitude cannot waver.
“You have to be really internally motivated and driven, especially in this league because it’s really hard,’’ the coach said. “It’s 82 games and they keep on coming. You have to get yourself to a place emotionally every single night. That’s really hard to get to.’’
And Donovan knows what it looks like.
He coached Kevin Durant for a season in Oklahoma City, he’s had Russell Westbrook in his prime, and a season of Chris Paul.
Beverley and Caruso don’t have the offensive talents of those three players, but they do know how to get a team motivated and to a place they need to get to.
“Being around Kevin Durant for even a year, or being around Westbrook for four years, their ability to go up to this level all the time – and it’s not that they played perfect – but just the readiness part of it,’’ Donovan said. “We cannot be a team of, ‘Well, we can take the foot off the pedal, we’re OK.’ ‘’
They were many times this season.
That’s how the Bulls blew more than a handful of 15-plus point leads. Too many “foot off the pedal’’ moments.
And while Caruso and Beverley aren’t perfect, they have answered some serious questions already, specifically how the Bulls would match up against the bigger starting lineups?
Donovan did switch Williams with Caruso in the matchup with Phoenix, but that was to match Williams up with Durant.
A good plan on paper, but the Bulls still lost.
As far as the other seven games, it’s been Caruso and Beverley, and at times guarding bigger players. A challenge both have no problem accepting.
At 6-foot-6, it’s easy to see why Caruso has no issues D-ing up one-through-four, but don’t discount what Beverley does against bigger players, especially if they try taking his 6-2 frame into the post.
“I like to consider myself one of the strongest guards in the NBA, so it’s not like back in the day when you had to guard the Rodney Stuckeys and the Chauncey Billups,’’ Beverley said. “Most guys now just want to go out there and shoot a ton of threes. The height has changed at certain positions, the physicality has changed also. I’m fine with all of it.’’
That’s because not only does Beverley feel like he’s strong enough to guard a wing in the post, but he’s prepared.
Beverley and Caruso are well-versed in the art of film study. They look for tendencies and weaknesses of not only the individual matchup for that night, but a matchup that could come their way on a switch.
“I like to think there’s some type of calculated plan with it,’’ Beverley said. “I don’t just go out there and try to impose my will on guys because every guy is different. I will say Billy and this coaching staff, they do a great job preparing us for our daily matchups, so preparation mixed with IQ mixed with strength.
“That’s a pretty good combination.’’
