Power Forward Grades
This is the section that is the most fun, I believe, because you have two players are figuring out how to make legitimate contributions and another guy who isn’t helping a whole lot, but finds his way into Hoiberg fourth quarter lineups.
Joffrey Lauvergne – Grade: C
Big Joff isn’t really moving the meter or passing the grade. He’s doing just fine for a guy who played a little over 13 minutes per game last week, but he’s not making a big impact on defense and his rebound numbers are low. He’s energy, but it isn’t exactly producing a huge result. Hoiberg liked something about him because he let him play in the fourth quarter of a game they wanted to win. Fortunately, he didn’t go the whole way. And all of this sounds harsh, but it probably shouldn’t. Lauvergne isn’t the answer to anything, but he’s also not a total failure.
Nikola Mirotic – Grade: A
28.4 minutes, 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, two assists, 1.3 blocks per game. Imagine Carlos Boozer could move much better, shoot better from outside, didn’t yell as much, and was a better passer – you’ve got a completely different player. The only thing similar is the production Chicago is getting out of the four. Niko kept the fire going at the end of March and into April. He shot 45.2 percent from the field, but an incredible 52.6 percent from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per game. That’s just really good. If he was anywhere near this kind of player all season, you’d have something special on your hands.
Bobby Portis – Grade: C+
Bobby got man-handled by Dwight Howard and it was funny. He got 21 minutes per and averged 10 points with 6.6 rebounds, shooting 50 percent from the field. It’s not perfect Portis, but his offensive contributions off the bench have actually been helpful despite his inability to impact the defensive end of the floor most of the time. He had the lowest plus-minus of any Bull last week in their three wins at minus-four.