Jabari can play multiple positions whether he is a rim runner or wing runner; he should be able to get out and throw ahead and attack - Fred Hoiberg

Jabari Parker said he's excited and ready to play for the Bulls. He can be a stoic sort, though not also Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, who starting on October is tasked with making all this work better. And for his part, the Bulls coach said he could not be more excited and pleased to include Parker in this young Bulls core.

"I've always been a fan of his," Hoiberg said after Parker's media session Wednesday morning in the United Center. "You just look at his development. I was excited he shot a career high from the three-point line last year, over 38 percent. He's a guy that finishes with authority at the rim and gives us another young athlete we can build this team with. So I was excited when we started talking to Jabari."

There were some questions about how Parker will fit with power forward Lauri Markkanen since Parker played a lot of power forward for Milwaukee. How Parker will defend since Zach LaVine is not regarded as a top defender. Whether Parker will handle the ball and make plays, a strength that often is designed for Kris Dunn. But Hoiberg said he sees more opportunity where there is doubt, possibilities instead of concerns.

"Jabari and Zach, they're both very athletic, they both have great feet. And we should be able, in my opinion, to take a step forward with our defense this year," Hoiberg insisted. "Jabari is a guy that can play multiple positions. Offensively, he fits in exactly how we want to play. He's as athletic a player, and you look at Jabari and Zach on the wings, and we should have as athletic a two, three – and he [Jabari] can slide down and play the four – as any team in the league. If we can be committed to get the ball up and down the floor, we have a chance, in my opinion, to play a very exciting style of basketball and be a very high-powered offensive team. So we're really looking forward to it."

The Bulls have struggled to implement Hoiberg's vision of the modern NBA offense since Hoiberg became coach, first with the Derrick Rose/Joakim Noah group, then with Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo and then last season waiting for LaVine to return and developing Markkanen and Dunn. Not that it's a finished product, but Hoiberg said the Bulls pace of play picked up as the season progressed. And he believes Parker will enhance the skills of the returning players.

"You look at the trend of a lot of switching (on defense)," Hoiberg noted. "You need players that can create their opportunities at the rim or create their own shot. We do feel we have some players who can take advantage of some things with the switch, a healthy Zach, Kris Dunn has shown the ability as the year went on, Jabari is a guy who can do it from inside and out, drive around bigger guys and post a smaller guy. There are going to be different nights when different guys have it going. It's all about the team and going out and putting your team in position to win; that's the one common goal we have."

Which perhaps may prove the greatest conundrum.

It's a positive the Bulls are putting together a young core of talent. But one issue with such young teams is no one is truly accomplished, so roles and responsibilities can become uncertain. You know the refrain: Who's the man?

"Winning benefits everybody; that's what it has to be about," Hoiberg emphasized. "We have really good guys, great people and I think they are going to gel. Guys have to understand in this league there are certain nights you have it going and you are going to ride the hot hand and that's how it has to be. We have a lot of guys capable of going for big nights, so it might not be the same person every time we step on the floor. Anytime you have a successful team with a lot of talent, you do have to sacrifice and that is going to be a big message for us.

"The roles in the first days probably won't be what they are in the middle and end of the season," Hoiberg said "You have to go out and, especially with a young group, experiment with some things over the course of the year and especially at the beginning. So the roles will find a way of playing their way out as far as who is going to get the last shot, who you are going to draw the last play for, what exactly your system is going to be, who is going to get the crunch time minutes? That's going to be a big part of what we are looking for heading into training camp, exactly what roles will be, how they will be defined and hopefully they will be accepted by everybody.

"We are going to want to play fast and I think we have the makeup to do that," said Hoiberg. "We are not going in saying this is going to be our starting five. We are going to go in and hopefully compete for positions, have a very competitive training camp."

Though it seems almost certain the starting lineup for the regular season will be Dunn and LaVine in the backcourt, Parker and Markkanen at forwards and Robin Lopez at center, though feeling heat as the season progresses from rookie Wendell Carter Jr.

But there should be plenty of versatility with Markkanen playing some center, Parker some power forward and LaVine some small forward. Plus the changes from the primary reserves like Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine. And a lot of the glue, Hoiberg believes, will come from Parker.

"Jabari can play multiple positions whether he is a rim runner or wing runner; he should be able to get out and throw ahead and attack," said Hoiberg. "Zach should be able to do that as well. I think we have two point guards (with Cameron Payne) who are committed to doing that. That's got to be a huge emphasis going into training camp, getting the ball up the floor in a hurry and we feel we have the athletes to do that. We are going to have to do that because I feel that's the way this team has a chance be successful."

And Parker should fit right in, Hoiberg says.

"He's 23 years old and you just look at the players he's going to be growing with," Hoiberg pointed out. "You have LaVine a 23 years old, Markannen a 20 year old, Wendell 19 years old. You have Kris Dunn the old one at 24. So you have a good young core I think you can really grow with. Plus, I think they fit each other because of their versatility and the way they can get out and run and play with pace and that's a system we want to play."

Ready, set, go?