Chicago Bulls: Breaking down the options at small forward

3. Paul Zipser

Paul Ziper was a revelation last season. Selected in the second round, no one expected much from the German product, yet he helped lead Chicago to a late-season playoff push, starting 11-straight games between March and April.

Zipser scored 21 points in the Bulls’ final regular-season game, a win against the Brooklyn Nets that sent them to the playoffs.

He played well in the first round, too, averaging 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range. His late-season performance puts Zipser squarely in the mix for the starting small forward position.

What he does well

At 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, Zipser is the only player of Chicago’s options with traditional forward size. His size and shooting allows him to space the floor for others. Zipser shot 39 percent on corner 3s last season, while 44.8 percent of his shots came from behind the arc.

His size provides an extra dose of versatility. While Valentine and Holiday can play the 2 or 3, Zipser can play the 3 and 4. Chicago could theoretically live with switching him onto bigger players.

What he doesn’t do well

Zipser needs to polish up his game. He likes to shoot the ball when he gets it, even if the shot will be contested. He needs to get rid of the ball in those situations. Zipser averaged just 1.5 assists per 36 minutes last season. If he can get better at attacking close outs or develop the court vision to find open teammates, the offense will function better for it.

While he has the best size of Chicago’s options, he still needs to get stronger and more fundamentally sound defensively. He may get taken advantage of when going against the league’s better wing scorers.