Hoiberg may have found closers
Youngsters Felicio, Portis, Zipser showed mettle vs. Warriors
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg finally might have stumbled upon something, although it hasn’t been for lack of trying.
Hoiberg has been seeking a consistent closing unit all season, a group that can defend, stretch the defense out a bit, understand the pick- and- roll game of Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade and play with confidence.
No one, though, saw this group coming.
Yes, Wade and Butler are nobrainers in crunch time. But in the wake of the trade that sent Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to the Thunder, Hoiberg has surrounded his two veteran leaders with youth.
Second- year players Cristiano Felicio and Bobby Portis and rookie Paul Zipser were front and center in the Bulls’ dramatic victory Thursday against the Warriors, andHoiberg said it might be a combination that has some legs.
‘‘ I thought Bobby was awesome,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘ Hewas fighting their guys on the glass. He was fighting our guys on the glass. He was just out there trying to make a big impact on the game. That’s what Bobby Portis is. He’s out there playing winning basketball right now, and it’s great to see.
‘‘ Paul Zipser came back [ from an ankle injury] and had a huge impact.’’
Hoiberg has been praising Felicio for the last month. And while Felicio scored only two points against the Warriors, his 11 rebounds and presence around the rim didn’t go unnoticed.
Still, it was Zipser whom Hoiberg chose to single out. He returned after missing the last couple of weeks with tendinitis in his left ankle to score nine points
in 23 minutes against the Warriors. But Zipser had started getting late- game minutes before the injury because he is a versatile defender and a player who embraces physicality.
On one late offensive series against the Warriors, Zipser ran up and set a hard screen for Butler after Portis missed a chance to do so. That’s one of the reasons Hoiberg reiterated Zipser is the Bulls’ sixth man now.
‘‘ He really kind of solidified himself as our sixth man [ before the injury] and a guy who’s closing games for us,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘ Paul, we missed him; there’s no doubt about that. He’s got size, he’s got length, he can put it on the floor and he can really defend.’’
And then there’s Portis. He has filled what used to be Gibson’s spot in the starting lineup and is averaging 11.3 points in his first four games in his new role. He had 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Warriors.
The next test comes Saturday, when the Bulls host the Clippers. It will be another chance for Hoiberg to find out whether his new closing unit really has some staying power.
‘‘ We already know who we can be,’’ Butler said. ‘‘ Now it’s just about going out and showing everybody, showing ourselves every single night, home and away. We know that we’re talented. We know that we can win. We’ve just got to go do it.’’