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Chicago Bulls Positional Grades

By Jeremy Karll

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Apr. 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) is defended by Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forward: Mike Dunleavy, Doug McDermott

This is the weakest starting position for Chicago and probably the weakest on the bench as well. Mike Dunleavy is the only starter that you can’t imagine being an All-Star this season and Doug McDermott has potential, but didn’t show much last season.

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    • Dunleavy is one of the more underrated players on the team and his re-signing was a must for the Bulls, but went mostly under the radar. At one point in his career, he averaged nearly 20 points per game with Indiana, but those days are over.

    Dunleavy is an above-average outside shooter, 40.7 percent from three last season and 46.1 percent from 16 feet or farther. While Dunleavy isn’t the sharp shooter Kyle Korver is, he only shot a few percent points worse from behind the arc than Korver did in his first season with the Bulls.

    Chicago doesn’t need Dunleavy to be a lockdown defender or a guy who can score 15 points a night. He knows his role and does it well. He spreads the floor, doesn’t turn the ball over, and can score and help end scoring droughts when needed. Dunleavy was able to still score 20 or more points nine times this past season, despite only averaging 9.4 points per game. He was also able to add 3.9 rebounds per game, showing he helps the Bulls a little in every way.

    Doug McDermott is another wild card going into this season for the Bulls and could be a key to their success. He was injured for most of his rookie season and didn’t crack the rotation once he got healthy. McDermott had a couple of games where he showed flashes, but wasn’t able to string together good games.

    McDermott struggled shooting from anywhere on the court. Overall, he was only able to shoot 40.2 percent from the field and an awful 31.7 percent from behind the arc. From 3-10 feet away from the basket, McDermott only shot 12.5 percent.

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    He should see a significant boost in minutes this year, and while more consistent playing time could help him find a rhythm, it’s a risky move considering he didn’t play well last season. His shooting wasn’t the only part of his game that was lacking. He only added 1.2 rebounds per game and recorded just 4 steals and a single block in 321 minutes played.

    There’s no question that this is the weakest position for the Bulls. Mike Dunleavy is a solid player, but he is past his prime and plays to his small role that Chicago asks from him. McDermott is one of the best college players in recent memory, but it’s yet to be seen if his game can transfer to the NBA level. If McDermott plays well enough then he could start for the Bulls in the future, but right now, the small forward position is nothing special for Chicago. That’s why they only get a C-.

    Grade: C-

    Next: Power Forwards

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