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Chicago Bulls Profile: Cameron Bairstow

By Jeremy Karll

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The Chicago Bulls season is inching closer towards us and now is the time to start learning about who is on the team this year. Here’s a look at the second Chicago Bulls profile: the former second round pick, Cameron Bairstow.

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Bairstow is set to enter his second season in the NBA with the Bulls and is expected to have the same role as last. The Bulls drafted Bairstow in the second round (49th overall) in last year’s draft out of New Mexico. He teamed up with former colleges teammate Tony Snell last year, but didn’t see a lot of time on the court.

He’s hoping to see more action with Fred Hoiberg as the coach, but considering Bairstow didn’t do anything to wow the coaches last year, it may be another long year on the bench for him.

Rookie Season: 18 GP, 3.6 MPG, .6 PPG, .4 RPG, 21.4 FG%

We didn’t see much of Bairstow last year and I expect the same story this year as well. The highlight of his rookie season was when he started his only game early in the season against Denver. Tom Thibodeau gave him a chance to prove himself and Bairstow struggled in his first real appearance in the NBA.

Against Denver, Bairstow scored two points, grabbed four rebounds and recorded a block while also picking up four fouls in just 19 minutes. His shot wasn’t falling (1-4 from the field), which hurt his chances of seeing more playing time later in the year. He did do a good job of holding Kenneth Faried in check as Faried finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds.

He didn’t show a lot of skill on either side of the ball during his one start or when he saw the court, but he is a hard worker and uses his energy to his advantage. He appeared at the end of blowouts but never played more than 10 minutes in a game besides his one start.

Las Vegas Summer League: 5 GS, 24.4 MPG, 8.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 42.9 FG%

Bairstow didn’t come into LVSL this year with a bunch of hype, but still put up impressive numbers for the second straight year. He started all five games he played in for the Bulls, but missed their final game due to injury. Bairstow was playing to prove that he still deserves a spot on the roster this year and I think he did a good job doing that.

His points per game and rebounds per game averages both went down, but his defensive play has improved since last year. The biggest improvement that Bairstow made from last summer however was the addition of a three-point shot. You don’t think of Bairstow as a three-point shooter, but he still shot the ball at an effective 35.7 percent. Adding a three-point shot to the game could potentially help him see the court more during the regular season if injuries happen.

Last summer he shot just one three pointer during the Las Vegas Summer League (1-1), but this summer, he made 5 of his 14 three-pointers attempted. He didn’t shine like some of other big men did this Summer League, but I think he proved that he can be an end-of-the-bench guy in the NBA, especially if his three-point shot keeps improving.

Expectations This Year

The Bulls front court only got deeper this off-season, pushing Bairstow even farther away from playing time. The addition of Bobby Portis almost guarantees that the only time Bairstow will now see the court is during blowouts.

The Bulls organization knows who Bairstow is and what he can do and in this case he should be dressed for most games but that’s about it. He doesn’t have a strong offensive game and for being considered a power forward he is a little undersized considering he is only 6’9″. Bairstow needs to add a post move to his game but if he can show the type of defense we saw during Summer League play then the Bulls will be more than pleased.

What To Watch For

It’s going to be hard to watch for Bairstow this season while he’s sitting on the bench, but during blowouts, I want to see if he is more aggressive in his second year. Yes, blowouts aren’t the most exciting time to play but if Bairstow wants to prove he can play, he’ll have to use every opportunity to his advantage.

Last season, he looked lost and wasn’t aggressive during his playing time last year, not giving the coaches confidence in him. He should have a little more confidence and better understanding of the NBA game now entering his second year in the league. There’s not much of a future with the Bulls now that they drafted Portis, and if Bairstow can show some sort of potential, he could be able to latch onto another NBA team in the future.

Next: Chicago Bulls profile: Cristiano Felicio

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