Chicago Bulls: 15 best scorers in franchise history
player. 24. . Power forward. 2011-14. Carlos Boozer. 14
In the summer of 2011 when the Miami Heat were forming the famed Big Three, the Bulls made a subtle addition of their own in free agency by bringing in big-man Carlos Boozer.
At the time, Boozer was a two-time All-Star and was thought to be the missing piece to a possible championship puzzle in Chicago, as the power forward spot was the weak link in the Bull’s armor over the previous couple of seasons.
Playing during a time where stretch-fours only went out to the elbow, Boozer was the complete package on the offensive end. He was a dominant force in the post and on the boards with a great mid-range jumper and the ability to play the two-man game.
During his four-year run with the Bulls, Boozer averaged 15.5 points a night, simply by bullying opposing power forwards with his 258-pound frame and providing a low-post presence to complement the perimeter games of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.
His best year with the Bulls was his first, with an average of 17.5 points on 51 percent shooting, helping the team to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan was a member of the team.
After that, he played a key role in keeping the Bulls über-competitive once an injured Rose became the norm in Chicago.
Like most players, Boozer had his flaws, but once Rose’s injuries became more and more frequent, the Bulls needed a go-to scorer they could turn to at any moment. More often than not ,it was up to Boozer to provide that lift offensively.
His defense may not have been great, but it’s safe to say the Bulls got what they expected when bringing in Boozer. He was someone who could control the tempo of the game and work his opponents from the free-throw line down.