With training camp starting up, how will a Tiago Splitter team differ from a Billy Donovan team?

Billy Donovan did not have a winning record as the coach of the Chicago Bulls. After six seasons and a 226-256 record there was need for change. But that does not mean Donovan did not create an identity for his team who over the last two seasons became one of the NBA’s fastest offenses. The system was built around the arrival of Josh Giddey, the speed of Ayo Dosunmu and the three point shooting of Coby White.

Until Giddey arrived the offense had to make compromises with both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine needing the ball. The result was a mid-range game, pick and roll offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in pace. But after the two stars left and Giddey arrived Donovan transitioned to something that copied what the Indiana Pacers were doing led by Tyrese Haliburton. The Bulls aimed to put a shot up within 14 seconds and suddenly the team was second in the league in pace.

Inside the half court, they spaced out along the three-point line and even when penetrating the paint, the goal was to kick it out rather than a player trying to create a shot in isolation. The idea being that most of the game you do not have the ball in your hands. You cut, screen, and relocate to another shooting spot.

Then White and Dosunmu were traded in February and although the system lived on for the remaining games, the Bulls roster had been decimated by Arturas Karnisovas’ poor decision making and after the season he was gone as Executive Vice President. Though the Bulls expressed a desire to bring back Donovan, being the class act that he has always been, he decided to resign so that incoming basketball operations chief Bryson Graham could hire his own coach and create the next version of the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls’ new coach is Tiago Splitter, who in 81 games as coach of the Portland Trailblazers led them to a seventh seed and a 42-39 record, good enough to allow the Bulls to finally secure the protected first round pick they had from the Lauri Markkanen trade. The Bulls used that pick to draft Dailyn Swain. So, Splitter was already helping the Bulls before he even got here.

But what does Splitter believe to be the fix for a team lacking a superstar, with exciting young players surrounded by veterans looking to extend their NBA careers either with the Bulls or elsewhere?

For one, Splitter is not a slowdown coach. His teams in Paris played fast and he recently quoted the legendary Greg Popovich on the Slappin’ Glass Podcast describing the second unit rule from the 2014 Spurs, a title team on which he played a key role, that each player had .5 seconds to shoot, drive or pass. He emphasizes quick thinking over fast feet. “You don’t need many sets. Rehearse one thing until it becomes automatic.”

Unlike Donovan who wanted unpredictability by playing fast but not necessarily within a script, Splitter will have a short menu of sets to memorize and execute at full speed, including off-ball and screening action designed to create separation, confusion, or a driving lane in the half-court offense.

The goal of Splitters half court offense will be similar to Billy Ball in that the objective will be quick decisions, open threes, and paint touches. In other words, the two best shots will still be open threes and layups, but the teaching will be different. Where Donovan asked players to create open three-point shots through spontaneous movement, Splitter will want reads so familiar that they get executed instantly while keeping the defense guessing.

Donovan’s five out philosophy was designed to clear the paint so ballhandlers could drive and attack closeouts. White and Dosunmu were exceptional at this. Splitter on the other hand, while still prioritizing spacing the floor will focus on the point guard and screens. Where Billy was a great coach for point guards, having been one himself, Splitter will be great for bigs, sharing his knowledge of how to set a screen, when to slip, and learning to stay on the same page as the ballhandler.

Another difference will be about winning the possession game and defense. Donovan’s focus was offense, often resembling a hockey rotation with 10-11 fresh bodies available to keep running, even after makes, hoping to tire out the other team by the time crunch time arrived. Splitter on the other hand will play those capable of making quick decisions, sharing the ball, rebounding and most of all defending. The strategy will emphasize that defensive rebounding limits the other teams’ possessions, and offensive rebounding will create more opportunities to score.

Here is how the roster will play out.

Giddey is still the engine. A 6-foot-7 pass-first guard who sees the floor early is exactly the kind of initiator Splitter will love to build around. He is also a very strong rebounder for his position and big enough to set screens for others if necessary. The Giddey – Claxton screen action will form the base with everything playing off that.

White is gone but Norman Powell will replace his scoring gravity as a movement shooter, and he will be a go to guy as the clock winds down. He is perfect for coming off screens without needing isolation possessions. White would often dribble too much in the half court. Powell will not do that.

Newly acquired Buddy Hield is a catch and shoot specialist version of the same idea. Neither Powell nor Hield will be asked to be a second point guard. Their job will be to take advantage of screening and cutting actions.

Dosunmu, who was a great cutter, is gone but Matas Buzelis who Splitter called a “complete package” with an unknown ceiling can become a reliable shooter and cutter. Expect to see plenty of wing-to-wing action with Matas getting screens above the free throw line. If he backs up Buzelis at the small forward position, Issac Okoro can play the role of cutter and defender who does not need the ball in his hands 95 percent of the time.

But it is the young wings and bigs, consisting now of Dailyn Swain, Noa Essengue, Leonard Miller and Caleb Wilson, that will benefit most from the Bulls hiring a development coach rather than a veteran. Splitter said he will adapt to what they do best. But the “quick decision” theme will stay the same.

No longer will we see the ball swing, a drive, a kick, another drive, leading to a late three. Starting tomorrow night with the opening of training camp, the Bulls will still play fast, share the ball and shoot a ton of three-point shots. But instead of trying to beat a defense by never stopping, the plan will be to repeat the same things until they become automatic and that includes rebounding and defense.

Donavan tried to win as many games as possible after the departures of LaVine and DeRozan by running with the Bulls. Splitter job will be to prove they can run and play fast but with intention. Like the Europeans who stress the basics of basketball, the Bulls with a young team, are going back to basics