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Chicago Bulls reserve guard Marco Belinelli is definitely "mad" about the lack of playing time he has received so far this season, but he is determined to channel that anger into something positive and earn more minutes from Tom Thibodeau with "aggressive" play. The 26-year-old Italian sharpshooter was signed by the Bulls as a free agent during the off-season. However, through the first 13 games he has averaged just 15.0 minutes per game, down from his career mark of 21.2 minutes per contest.
The first thought when anyone stays glued to the bench on a Tom Thibodeau-coached team is that the defensive effort isn't up to par, and Belinelli is certainly a player who is better known for his offense of contributions. When asked by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago but whether Thibs has tried to send him a message by sitting him, Belinelli gave an honest answer:
"I don't know, but I was so mad. "If you care about the team and if you care about playing basketball then you have to be mad. So I was really mad first and foremost because we lost that game, I didn't play. I think when I go to the court I need to play more aggressive. Aggressive defensively and aggressive offensively."
He's a career 39.4 percent three-point shooter, and the Bulls could certainly use the help on an offense that struggles to produce any points from beyond-the-arc, so perhaps the young guard can work his way into the rotation by shooting right around the 40.7 percent clip he's currently posting from three-point range. The Bulls rank No. 27 in the NBA in three-point percentage (31.0%).