Not content with one of the league’s deepest rosters, the Bulls organization has decided to bring on former Magic E’Twaun Moore to buoy their backcourt. Frequently swooned over for their frontcourt personnel, Moore won’t quite elevate the Bulls’ guard play to the level expected of their big men, but is a young, capable shooter who can play the 1 and 2 under extraneous circumstances.
This isn’t a Kevin Love-sized talent boost but it does address explicit team concerns. Though Derrick Rose has turned heads with his Team USA play, his season-long health remains a concern. After him, the Bulls have capable options at point, but Kirk Hinrich is staring retirement in the face and Aaron Brooks is not a former MVP. Moore will surely be used more predominantly as a shooting guard, where he’ll be able to take on the minutes load from Jimmy Butler and Tony Snell who’ll be putting in work on the defensive end.
Shooting guards haven’t shined under Tom Thibodeau (think Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans) quite like point guards have (Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin are two examples) but Moore is capable enough and flanked by enough talent to contribute as a capable spot-up shooter and sometimes playmaker.
At 25, he’s not quite the prospect someone like Tony Snell or Doug McDermott could be, but he also won’t be expected to live up to similar expectations. If he can fill in five to eight minutes a game with above par shooting, some playmaking, and little turnovers, he’ll be just what the Bulls need.
In terms of stats, there’s nothing he’s contributed thus far that jumps off the page. He’s a career 35.0 percent shooter from deep, which isn’t stellar, and has less impressive usage, field goal, and passing numbers. But he’ll make the Bulls as 13-deep as any other squad in the game and as deep as they’ve ever been in Rose’s reign.
Of course, Moore’s effectiveness with greatly depend on the health of the guards that will start before him (Rose, Hinrich, Brooks, Butler, and Snell) and the playmaking of their star point guard and All-Star level big men. Given various projections, playing alongside the likes of Rose, Noah, and Gasol could do wonders for a still-young player with enough skills to put his team over the top.
