Sato Is Having A 50/40/90 Season

[sco]

This is why I don’t think a PG is really going to make a big difference for the Bulls. Ostensibly, Vuc and Lavine are going to do most of the ball handling. At PG, you want a guy who moves well off ball, makes open shots and doesn’t turn the ball over plus is a good defender. Sato does most of that.

What the Bulls need is an athletic 3/4 to go along with PW.

I’d say those are both clear team needs at this point. But I view them both as significant. Yes Lavine and Vuc will have the ball a lot (so will Thad while he’s here). But this team still badly lacks playmakers. We need multiple.

We also need perimeter defense upgrades. Patrick Lee Williams, we assume perhaps to our folly, will end up being a quality defender. But just like playmakers, we still need more.

IMO, the second need is for a bench gunner who comes in and creates his own shot, can play PG or SG and can handle volume scoring. Basically Coby minus the terrible defense, poor shot selection and dumb turnovers.

I agree with the need for a decent volume bench scorer. If we hope that Theis and/or Brown can be the guy next to Williams and we keep Sato, I wonder if we have enough $ to sign Rose or maybe a guy like Kanter as our bench scorer.

[Chi town]

I agree we need a playmaking wing the most. Sato can stay but if I'm Nola I'd probably take him over letting Lonzo walk for nothing. Pels are stealth tanking and will want a rebound year next year.

Best case scenario is we sign Kawhi and then Sato stays our PG.

If AK goes for Lonzo, Sato will be traded.

Our playmaking wing is probably Troy Brown. We will only have Lauri as as a trade chip and our MLE to find a wing.

I like Thad from the bench. I really like PaW at PF next to Vuc.

We need defense, IQ, and shooting next to Lavine and Vooch. Lonzo would be an ideal fit.

[TheFinishSniper]

This is why I don’t think a PG is really going to make a big difference for the Bulls. Ostensibly, Vuc and Lavine are going to do most of the ball handling. At PG, you want a guy who moves well off ball, makes open shots and doesn’t turn the ball over plus is a good defender. Sato does most of that.

What the Bulls need is an athletic 3/4 to go along with PW.

You want to move Lavine more off ball just like Suns did with Booker with CP3. That's the goal. Doesnt mean Booker is getting less shots and isnt playing major role for Suns. But he is playing different role from which he used to play. You want to neutralize turnovers ratio, you want consolidate offense where you dont depend on winning games by playing Lavine hero ball and get everyone involved. You still wanna have that option but you dont want it to be primary option.

Sato can't do that. Not his fault. I wish Bulls dont make playoffs because we will get destroyed there even though we have "two All-Stars". We need to fix this issue. Sato deserves to be bench player and play his role in full capacity as bench piece because let's be real he wouldnt start on any of 29 teams in league.

I do agree Bulls need another 3/4 to go along with PW. He is too young to be depended fully on him. We simply need another vet for steady 20+ minutes each night.

[sco]

I agree we need a playmaking wing the most. Sato can stay but if I'm Nola I'd probably take him over letting Lonzo walk for nothing. Pels are stealth tanking and will want a rebound year next year.

Best case scenario is we sign Kawhi and then Sato stays our PG.

If AK goes for Lonzo, Sato will be traded.

Our playmaking wing is probably Troy Brown. We will only have Lauri as as a trade chip and our MLE to find a wing.

I like Thad from the bench. I really like PaW at PF next to Vuc.

We need defense, IQ, and shooting next to Lavine and Vooch. Lonzo would be an ideal fit.

If we don't get Ball (to NY), the guy I'd go after to stick with starting unit is Reggie Bullock. He's been an unsung 3-D guy for the Knicks this season.

[weneeda2guard]

I'm hoping the new editions help maintain increased play for Sato. Him being good takes our team to another level. And with so much attention being paid to lavine and Vuc, he can def benefit. Hopefully he builds off the last game. We need a solidified 3rd scorer and coby and lauri don't seem to have the talent to step in and take that role. Thad is ok but he is offensively challenged. So between Troy brown Jr, Sato, and Patrick Williams we need 1 of them to have a double digit game nearly every night if we want any shot to go on a winning streak to end the season.

[coldfish]

I agree we need a playmaking wing the most. Sato can stay but if I'm Nola I'd probably take him over letting Lonzo walk for nothing. Pels are stealth tanking and will want a rebound year next year.

Best case scenario is we sign Kawhi and then Sato stays our PG.

If AK goes for Lonzo, Sato will be traded.

Our playmaking wing is probably Troy Brown. We will only have Lauri as as a trade chip and our MLE to find a wing.

I like Thad from the bench. I really like PaW at PF next to Vuc.

We need defense, IQ, and shooting next to Lavine and Vooch. Lonzo would be an ideal fit.

Lonzo is a better defending version of Sato. The offense in NO is run through Zion and Ingram.

Lonzo is going to NYK anyways.

[DuckIII]

I’m still holding out hope for Coby as the perimeter bench scorer. I’m not looking to spend assets yet on that luxury with him in the bullpen. We have two more cost-controlled seasons to see if he can pan out in that capacity.

I’m basically willing to give him a pass on this season due to its experimental nature. I want to see what he can do in the role that was pretty obviously his only possible NBA fit.

[chefo]

Sato is just a slightly better version of his DC-self. Which is to say a wonderful rotational player that would fit on any team looking for a deep PO run.

The problem with Sato, and that comes from somebody who truly appreciates what he does, is that he doesn't make life easier on anybody else. He's a good passer, but he doesn't break the D to pass. So, he doesn't make our bigs' life easier, or Zach's. He passes off broken plays, or half-court sets. As such, on a game-by-game basis, his passing is truly dependent on how much attention the D wants to pay to his teammates. A disciplined, aggressive D and Sato struggles to make anything happen.

He's the exact opposite of a gunner--which is why his splits look great. He'll only take very high quality shots... but the D knows that as well, and they usually let him be. He's not Bogansed, but he doesn't command attention either, so he doesn't space well, which, given that the ball will be in Vuc's and Zach's hands, is a bit of a problem going forward. He needs to get comfortable letting it fly from 3 5+ times a game, not 2. Defenses respect volume, especially when combined with efficiency. Right now, he's not game-planned for, because he won't drill 5 threes if you leave him open all game. He won't even take 5 threes.

Sato, more often than not, does not have it in him to go "get it" when the D tightens up and starts playing the passing lanes. Sato can't get you 20 regularly, if he's left in single coverage and dared to score. That, and his reluctant outside shooting, are his only two major drawbacks for an otherwise wonderful player to have on your team.

By the way, Lonzo has the exact same set of minuses as Sato, except he doesn't have the elite efficiency. He doesn't break the D to pass. He doesn't make people's life easier because the D is tailored to stop him. His entire career, he's just been out there on the court and nobody cared all that much. I hope the Bulls don't throw $20M at him because I don't see how he moves the needle most nights. If they do, I sure hope he's not the player he's been his entire career so far.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

-Waiving Sato for the 5m savings is obviously off the table.

-I’d be willing to trade him for a decent 1st but no less.

-Trading Sato + 2nd for a signed Lonzo making 20+ is feeling shakier. But this is the last summer we’ll have cap space and getting another young player under team control might be the best route to restocking the assets we dealt out for Vuc, so I’m not against it.

-Keeping Sato and instead getting Coby off our cap this summer feels perfectly reasonable if we can add another playmaker.

-My least favorite outcome is keeping Sato and merely letting him expire in summer 2022. We have to find a way to roll his value forward into a pick or a young player this summer or at the deadline.

[sco]

-Waiving Sato for the 5m savings is obviously off the table.

-I’d be willing to trade him for a decent 1st but no less.

-Trading Sato + 2nd for a signed and traded Lonzo making 20+ is feeling shakier. But this is the last summer we’ll have cap space and getting another young player under team control might be the best route to restocking the assets we dealt out for Vuc, so I’m not against it.

-Keeping Sato and instead getting Coby off our cap this summer feels perfectly reasonable if we can add another playmaker.

-My least favorite outcome is keeping Sato and merely letting him expire in summer 2022. We have to find a way to roll his value forward into a pick or a young player this summer or at the deadline.

I'd be in on trading Sato for a 1st, even better if we can use him to S&T for Ball, even better still if we can put Coby into that deal too.

[Ice Man]

I’m still holding out hope for Coby as the perimeter bench scorer.

I think he is the answer for that job. The Bulls organization threw a curveball at him this season, so he needs to recover from that and re-focus on his strengths. He is a good scorer. Concentrate on that, stop with the silly turnovers, get tougher on defense ... all improvements that a young player should be able to make.

[kodo]

I've definitely been of the opinion that our C position was a much bigger problem than PG, because Sato was really not a bad option for a non-star PG. Even last year when he got a lot of hate.

This year, he's #14 in the NBA in assists per minute. The guys ahead of him (excluding Cam Payne who plays low minutes) are Ben Simmons, Lebron James, Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic, Doncic. Those are not gettable guys even if you trade the entire Bulls team include Lavine. So whatever PG we were going to replace Sato with, we weren't going to get a lot more assists. There's TJ McConnell who I always liked, but he's a 29% 3P shooter compared to Sato's 41%.

It's also impressive he's so high on the list considering how little he gets the ball compared to guys like Lebron & Luka. The ball is in the hands of Lavine & Young much of the time in Chicago. I'd bet if there was a assists to usage calculation, Sato would be pretty high up there.

[Andi Obst]

Can we unban Wonderboy?

Wonderboy seeing this thread, unable to respond...

[MissileMike]

That's why I like PW at the 4 and TBJ at the 3. Basically you put lavine on the worst player 1-3. Sato on the middle, and give the toughest matchup to TBJ. Plus you can switch most stuff since none of them are small.

[Michael Jackson]

Need a 3/4 to play next to Pat eh? Well I hear this guy Otto Porter Jr is going to be a free agent this summer.

[MGB8]

Need a 3/4 to play next to Pat eh? Well I hear this guy Otto Porter Jr is going to be a free agent this summer.

Has he been put on the Lebron James body treatment plan (that keeps NBA players healthy until they are 35)?

[Ice Man]

Need a 3/4 to play next to Pat eh? Well I hear this guy Otto Porter Jr is going to be a free agent this summer.

Twenty-seven going on 80.

[MGB8]

Need a 3/4 to play next to Pat eh? Well I hear this guy Otto Porter Jr is going to be a free agent this summer.

Has he been put on the Lebron James body treatment plan (that keeps NBA players healthy until they are 35)?

On a more serious note, besides a flier on an-also-likely-to-be-broken-most-of-the-season Justise Winslow (which I'd probably take), one guy that is interesting is Juan Toscano-Anderson.

He's a to-be-28 year old wing that has played a lot at the 4 for the Warriors this year. Shoots 44% from 3 though on low volume. ~10pts/8rbs/4assists per36. Thing is, he has a +7 net Ortg vs. DRtg for Golden State - one of just 4 guys on that team who do (the other 3 being Looney, Steph Curry, and Damion Lee - with Draymond a near but not quite push). He's got a + 0.4 net +/-, too.

While he's older, this is just his 2nd year in the NBA... so maybe he's catching on? I think the guy is underrated.

[MGB8]

Need a 3/4 to play next to Pat eh? Well I hear this guy Otto Porter Jr is going to be a free agent this summer.

Twenty-seven going on 80.

AKA, Greg Oden at 22.

[sco]

Need a 3/4 to play next to Pat eh? Well I hear this guy Otto Porter Jr is going to be a free agent this summer.

Twenty-seven going on 80.

AKA, Greg Oden at 22.

I'm the first to agree that availability is a key ability, and Porter is anything but. That said, I wonder if any GM sees him as anything other than a reclamation project now. If we otherwise strike out in FA, a one-year "prove it" deal with a second year option, which gives us the ability to punt cap space forward a year, might be a decent risk/return.