Chicago Bulls Basketball Player Profile: Kirk Hinrich

Player Summary

Last season was a nightmare for the Chicago Bulls and for Kirk Hinrich specifically. Hinrich averaged career lows in minutes, points, assists, rebounds, and steals. This is not supposed to be a player on the downward slope of his career. Kirk Hinrich is 27 years old and will be starting only his sixth season in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.

Hinrich was the seventh pick in the famous 2003 draft that included Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman, and T.J. Ford. For a little while it looked like Hinrich belonged in that class. Now it appears that he may have peaked. Kirk Hinrich will need a monster season to re-establish his reputation as an above-average point guard.

To further complicate matters, the Chicago Bulls picked point guard Derrick Rose with the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Kirk Hinrich will almost certainly see his minutes drop in a Bulls backcourt that includes Ben Gordon, Thabo Sefalosha, Larry Hughes and Rose. Gordon is a restricted free agent shooting guard and may not be with the Chicago Bulls at the start of the season. Sadly, that would be the best case scenario for Hinrich, who could swing back and forth from point guard to shooting guard.

Statistics for '07-'08 Basketball Season

Minutes: 31.7
Points: 11.5
Rebounds: 3.3
Assists: 6.0
Steals: 1.2
Blocks: 0.3

Player Strengths

A lot of Chicago Bulls fans have begun to jump all over Kirk Hinrich. However, he does provide quite a bit of value to the Chicago Bulls. Even though he does not appear to be a pure point guard, Hinrich does a decent job running the team and has maintained a respectable assist-to-turnover ratio (a key statistic for point guards). Hinrich is also a pretty good shooter.

The Chicago Bulls often place Kirk Hinrich on the opposing team's best guard (whether point guard or shooting guard) for defensive purposes. He is not a shut down defensive player, but he is good and gives maximum effort. Some of his defensive performances against Wade have been spectacular. With his defense and point guard play, Hinrich is capable of providing the Chicago Bulls with a good overall game.

Player Weaknesses

Kirk Hinrich fell apart for the Chicago Bulls last year. Throughout his career, Hinrich has had problems keeping his head in the game. But, everything seemed to snowball last year. It was basically a season-long slump for Hinrich. When he is called for a foul, or doesn't get a call from the officials that he thinks he deserves, Hinrich's body language changes and he begins to pout. In turn, this appears to affect his play.

Player Projections

Kirk Hinrich's season with the Chicago Bulls probably depends quite a bit on the situation with Ben Gordon. If Gordon leaves or is traded, Hinrich may be able to grab minutes at both guard spots. If Gordon stays, Hinrich will either lose minutes or will be traded.

After last season, it may be better for Kirk Hinrich to start fresh on a team other than the Chicago Bulls. Even if he's given similar minutes to last season, he'll need to rebound strong to regain his confidence after a terrible season.

Projected Statistics for the Chicago Bulls '08-'09 Basketball Season

Minutes: 20.0
Points: 9.3
Rebounds: 3.0
Assists: 3.7
Steals: 0.8
Blocks: 0.1

Sources:
ESPN