Bobby Portis among Chicago’s most intriguing players next season

The Chicago Bulls are looking at a rebuilding season, which will provide the opportunity for several players to take next steps in their NBA careers. In particular, this is an important season for Bobby Portis.

The Chicago Bulls are not only a team rebuilding, but a team discovering. Several players on the roster will have an opportunity to play and develop in ways they haven’t the last several seasons.

Guys like Cameron Payne and Jerian Grant should get a chance to play. So, too, will Denzel Valentine. Of all of these such players, though, Bobby Portis’ development may be the most important.

Portis was an NBA Draft-nerd favorite when he was coming out of Arkansas in 2015. Selected 22nd by the Bulls, Portis was seemingly a perfect fit for newly-hired head coach Fred Hoiberg’s pace-and-space scheme he was supposed to bring from Iowa State.

However, management’s moves limited what Hoiberg could do, Hoiberg struggled to find his footing as an NBA head coach in his first two seasons, and Portis never developed into the stretch-4 many projected.

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At 6-foot-11, 246 pounds, Portis is a career 32.4 percent 3-point shooter averaging 1.2 attempts per game.

Although he played only 1,000 minutes last season, he was used more often. Especially from the corner, where he 45.8 percent of his 3-point attempts. He’d had been a valuable tool for Chicago if, y’know, he had played more.

Other forwards Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott all played more minutes than Portis last season.

Gibson and McDermott were shipped out last season, and Mirotic doesn’t seem to be in the best standing with the team. The door is open for Portis, even as the Bulls drafted Lauri Markkanen in June.

Portis’ per 36 numbers are promising: 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds. There’s reason to believe that with more playing time and a longer leash that the 22 year old could develop into a core piece for the Bulls going forward.

So why is he so intriguing?

Because if Portis were to develop into a key player in Chicago’s frontcourt, it would unlock all sorts of interesting small-ball units. Particularly one where Portis plays center and Markkanen plays the 4, giving the Bulls two stretch bigs on the floor at one time. Imagine the spacing!

Portis played 51 percent of his minutes at center his rookie season, according to basketball-reference.com, and 23 percent in his second season. He has experience playing the 5, and has the size to do so. He’s not a particularly good defender or rim protector but, for a few minutes a game, he should play there as a change of pace.

Next: Why the Bulls should move on from Nikola Mirotic

Versatility is king in today’s NBA, and Chicago is in a spot where they can experiment. Expectations, after all, are low. But there is talent on this roster, room for improvement, and important roles for players willing to take them.