On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls announced their Las Vegas Summer League roster which includes center Cristiano Felicio. 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 Jerian Grant or Denzel Valentine, but not everyone knows players like Jack Cooley. 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: Cristiano Felicio
Position: Center
Age: 24
Background: Age wise, Felicio is the median for this Las Vegas roster. However, he already has more NBA experience than most of the roster. The big man is a product of Brazil where he played with Flamengo.
His NBA experience extended across 31 games in 2015-16 for the Fred Hoiberg Bulls, four of which he started for an injury depleted squad that stumbled to the finish line at the end of the season.
Felicio only averaged 10 minutes per game in his rookie season, but that isn’t bad for a player that spent a majority of the season racking up DNP-CDs. When it became clear that Noah was done for the year, Felicio had a chance to get out on the floor and show a flash of what he hopes to offer Chicago in the upcoming season. All said, with just 10 minutes per game, he was good for 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds. He played like a true big man, sticking close to the rim average just 0.6 3-point attempts per 100 possessions which mostly runs against the preference of the modern NBA.
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Outlook: When someone says “Cristiano,” you probably finish the name with “Ronaldo” rather than “Felicio.” However, Felicio might become more of a household name for Bulls fans at the LVSL and beyond.
Felicio is one of just four players on the Las Vegas roster that figures to see any playing time for the Bulls in 2016-17, but he’ll rely on a strong showing over the next five or so games to help bolster his chances for the upcoming season. Right now, he is the primary backup for recent acquisition Robin Lopez when the Bulls opt for a more traditional NBA lineup. His minutes likely shrink if the Bulls opt for more small ball which would likely feature Taj Gibson or Nikola Mirotic if they really want to get crazy.
Yesterday, we covered a few players that are going to see significant time in Vegas that you should keep an eye on – Jerian Grant and Bobby Portis. Add Felicio to that list. These are three of the four players that need to really show out at Summer League and deserve the closest watch from Bulls fans.