On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls announced their Las Vegas Summer League roster, which includes second-year forward Bobby Portis. The list of 11 players includes several players who are expected to play a significant role for the Bulls now and in the future along with a handful of longshots and D-League bound fringe ballers.
The Bulls will play at least five games in Las Vegas between July 9 and July 18, the first three games are already scheduled, beginning with a matchup on July 9 against the Boston Celtics.
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A lot of people may be familiar with names like Denzel Valentine or Jerian Grant, but not everyone knows players like Raymar Morgan. Over the next few days we will give you the 4-1-1 on each of the players on the Bulls roster for Summer League.
Who: Bobby Portis
Position: Power Forward
Age: 21
Background: Portis has the most unique game face of anyone in the NBA right now. Unfortunately, not a lot of people have seen it through one season as a professional basketball player.
Portis is a product of the University of Arkansas and was selected at No. 22 in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He wasn’t initially on the radar for the Bulls, but when he fell to them, Chicago felt compelled to select the player they felt was, by far, the best available at that slot.
There is a lot of upside to Portis, but at forward, he was buried behind a combination of Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic. Each of those players was paired in some unique way with one of the others for the various lineups that Fred Hoiberg put on the court for each game. Noah, Gasol and Gibson are all established veterans with well above average ability for the NBA.
In his first season for the Bulls, Portis averaged 17.8 minutes with 7 points and 5.4 rebounds. Respectable numbers for a young forward that served as a limited backup for the Bulls.
Outlook: As a prospect, Portis has all the tools he will need to develop into a pro-level starter in the league. He’s very intense and has an outstanding work ethic, rarely intimidated by other players. He could be witnessed doing nose-to-nose with players like Hassan Whiteside during his rookie season, showing no concern for the reputation of more established or physically imposing opposition.
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The LVSL is going to be a huge opportunity for Portis. He was overwhelming, but impressive in the 2015 LVSL which helped carry momentum with Hoiberg into the 2015-16 season. He can’t be content with having a few stand out performances in Vegas, Bobby needs to show the coaching staff that he is ready to take another step forward in his game.
Gibson is still on the roster for now, but there is the possibility that he will be traded at some point during this season as an expiring contract who has to be dissatisfied with his role over the past few years, coming off the bench. If Portis wants to show he is ready for a larger role, he’ll need to inspire confidence from the front office during these games.
Portis is second only to Denzel Valentine for players that Bulls fans should be keeping an eye on during Vegas. If he is primed to take that next big step, July will be a revelation. If he hasn’t improved, July will be a disappointment.