It didn\u2019t take long for Julian Phillips to find his sweet spot this season.<\/p>\n
Phillips never has defined himself as a shooter. But when he drifts into the corner, the Chicago Bulls forward finds himself in a comfort zone.<\/p>\n
Corner 3-pointers are one of the highest-value shots on the court \u2014 and this season they\u2019ve become a cornerstone for Phillips. Through 25 games entering Monday night\u2019s road game against the Toronto Raptors, Phillips had taken 40 of his 61 attempts behind the arc from the corners and had made 40% (16 of 40) of them.<\/p>\n
Almost every player on the Bulls roster is attempting a career-high volume of 3s this season, but this is especially new for Phillips. In his lone season at Tennessee before declaring for the NBA draft, he took only 46 3s in 32 games.<\/p>\n
On draft night in 2023, Bulls general manager Marc Eversley acknowledged that shooting was the then-19-year-old\u2019s most obvious weakness. And Phillips knew it too. He was drafted for his athleticism and keen defensive IQ.<\/p>\n
But to stick in the NBA, he needed to find his shot \u2014 as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to be an all-around better shooter,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n
For Phillips, developing his shot has taken daily repetition with Bulls shooting specialist Peter Patton.<\/p>\n
Patton is notoriously meticulous. Phillips quickly learned that every aspect of his shot could be perfected \u2014 the way he breathes while gathering the ball, how he sets his feet behind the line, the positioning of each finger on the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t really let you settle \u2014 even if you\u2019re shooting it good,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n
The result is confidence and consistency from the corner that has allowed Phillips to begin building an offensive presence.<\/p>\n
Consistency is key for Phillips. His niche in the Bulls rotation isn\u2019t flashy, but he understands it.<\/p>\n
Cut on the backside anytime a defender looks in the other direction. Nail those catch-and-shoot opportunities in the corner. Grab every loose rebound within arm\u2019s reach. Lock down on defense. Swat shots in off-ball rotations.<\/p>\n
Phillips\u2019 dependability has been a valuable asset for coach Billy Donovan. When injuries removed Patrick Williams and Coby White from the starting lineup last week, the 21-year-old Phillips was a plug-and-play option.<\/p>\n
But while fitting into this mold is the crux of Phillips\u2019 success this season, the next step of his development will require him to break out of it.<\/p>\n
The Bulls went small with their roster design, forgoing traditional frontcourt size to rely on lengthy wings who can play a switchable, up-tempo style on both ends. In theory, this plays into Donovan\u2019s overall ethos, allowing the Bulls to take more 3-pointers and run opponents ragged in transition.<\/p>\n
But the inexperience of the team\u2019s perimeter length causes limits for Donovan. If he tries to field a rotation with young wings such as Phillips and Matas Buzelis, he quickly runs up against a serious offensive problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no shot creation,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cAnd then all of a sudden you put an enormous amount of pressure on who those two guards are out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the next frontier for Phillips \u2014 who was averaging 14.2 minutes with two starts entering Monday \u2014 if he hopes to earn a heavier workload.<\/p>\n
Although Phillips is able to play off his teammates, he remains stuck in a state of reactive offense that is typical of first- and second-year players. That means Donovan feels comfortable playing Phillips only in rotations with multiple creative playmakers such as White, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not cutting it for this season\u2019s roster. Donovan needs wings such as Phillips to be able to put the ball on the floor and create offense for teammates \u2014 and he needs that transformation to happen with urgency.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Julian) has done a really good job of spacing the floor, shooting his 3s, but I think he can do a little bit more off the dribble,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cWhether or not we can get there this year, I don\u2019t know. But it\u2019s something we\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean Phillips needs to start taking on defenders one-on-one or attempt crazy dribbling stunts. It starts simply \u2014 noticing a sloppy closeout, getting the ball on the floor and his hips past his defender, putting enough pressure on the rim to draw a rotation and kick to an open teammate.<\/p>\n
Transforming from a reactive offensive player to a proactive playmaker is the hardest hurdle to clear for any young NBA player.<\/p>\n
Donovan believes Phillips is capable of making the changes, but the timeline for that development is different for every player. It took Williams, for instance, several seasons to develop to a point where Donovan feels Williams can reliably contribute to shot creation with the ball in his hands.<\/p>\n
For Phillips, finding this next nuance in his game follows the same process as finding his shot \u2014 it\u2019s all a matter of repetition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still processing it,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cA lot of it is just \u2014 you\u2019ve got to play and figure it out. So I\u2019m still learning. I\u2019m still figuring it out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It didn\u2019t take long for Julian Phillips to find his sweet spot this season. Phillips never has defined himself as a shooter. But when he drifts into… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n