Chicago Bulls need to make resigning David Nwaba a priority
By Aymin Bakr
The Chicago Bulls have fared well in free agency, but guard David Nwaba must be a priority.
While they certainly aren’t on the level of the the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls have had a fairly solid history of finding hidden gems. From Toni Kukoc to Jimmy Butler, the franchise has seen late first and second round or even undrafted prospects turn into high-level contributors. David Nwaba may not turn out to be a superstar, but he’s certainly got the potential to be one of the best value wings in the entire league.
Nwaba’s qualifying offer was recently rescinded meaning that he’s currently an unrestricted free agent. The reasoning behind this move is still unclear. It’s speculated that the Bulls could be looking for a sign-and-trade involving the young guard or could’ve simply realized he’s worth more money. Either way, if the Chicago Bulls don’t attempt to resign David Nwaba, the franchise and the city of Chicago as a whole may regret not picking Nwaba up in the future.
The current roster isn’t necessarily loaded with defensive talent
Last year’s team boasted one of the worst overall defenses in the league, coming in at a mere 24th out of 30 NBA teams. Guys like Kris Dunn,Justin Holiday, and of course David Nwaba were the only real defensive weapons.
The Bulls did a nice job in selecting Wendell Carter Jr to help with that issue however the recent Jabari Parker signing appears to bring us a step back on that side of the floor. Both Parker and Zach Lavine have had injuries to their ACL and were already fairly lackluster defenders to begin with. Lauri Markkanen is still working on his frame and the bench unit doesn’t contain much defensive prowess either.
Yes, it’s a process. David Nwaba isn’t going to single-handedly solve the defensive issues as a whole but he’ll certainly play a big role in that process. Nwaba guarded the best player he could on every team that we played and seemed to have no issues. Throw in the fact that he averaged 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per 36 minutes this year and he seems all the more enticing.
Every team needs a defensive specialist, and Nwaba could very well be that guy for the future. Especially considering the fact that he comes at a fairly cheap asking price and that the free agent pool doesn’t have much left to offer on that end of the floor.
His offensive game is a lot less raw than many people think
Most people understand that Nwaba’s biggest “issue” is his offensive game. While he’s still got a ways to go before he’s a consistent offensive threat, he certainly has more offensive tools than expected. Yes, he shot just 34.6% from beyond the arc on only 0.7 attempts per game but he definitely wasn’t atrocious. When looking at his complete game log for this season, it becomes clear that Nwaba has some scoring potential. He marked multiple 15+ point performances that were coupled with nice rebounding nights.
On every single one of those performances, Nwaba took less than 4 attempts from beyond the arc meaning he can already score without a consistent shot. He’s proven to be a capable scorer when playing the role of an athletic slasher. He’s able to get to the rim and finish or knock down open mid-range shots and even has the footwork to spin past opponents for easy buckets. Furthermore, a defensive rebound on the other end often leads to a coast-to-coast finish or assist to another teammate.
Yes, he’s 25 years old and is a second year player but he’s got time to work on his jump shot. He’s already got the footwork and the strength to be an elite finisher in the league as it is. If he can improve on his already above average slashing ability and can maintain his defensive prowess, you’ve got a 12-15 point per game scorer that can grab you 7 boards a night and defend the opposing team’s best player. That’s a scary thought.
Resigning Nwaba doesn’t take much out of the pocket
As if his immense potential wasn’t already good enough of a reason to keep him, he’s really not a financial problem at all. Because Nwaba was an undrafted prospect in 2016, his qualifying offer was worth just $1.7 million. Like aforementioned, The Bulls could have rescinded the offer to give him the money he deserves but they still haven’t resigned him. This could either signify that Nwaba wants too much or that the front office is actively pursuing a trade.
I seriously doubt he’s asking for much more than $10 million a year which the Bulls clearly have and should be willing to give considering there’s little risk.
David Nwaba is a low risk high reward type of player and simply can’t be let go
Given the rare defensive capabilities and offensive potential of David Nwaba it already seems like a no-brainer to resign the young talent. Throw in the fact that he’s a fairly cheap wing and it makes it almost ridiculous that he hasn’t been resigned yet.
Next: Bulls have had a pretty busy offseason so far
He’s not a superstar and may never be one but David Nwaba will be a special player in this league. It would be a disservice to the future of this organization if he is let go.
As always, I could be completely wrong and Bulls fans will just have to wait and see what takes place over the coming months.