Chicago Bulls forward Jabari Parker has almost completely fallen out of the Bulls’ rotation. Did Jim Boylen and Co. give up on him too soon?
When the Chicago Bulls signed Jabari Parker to a 2-year, $40 million contract in July, Bulls fans knew it was going to be an experiment.
Coming into the season, his fit with the Bulls was questionable, to say the least. With guys like Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis set to receive the majority of the power forward minutes, most fans were hoping Jabari could slide in at the three, creating a potential lineup consisting of Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr.
That five-man lineup combination actually hasn’t seen the court once this season. Not once. I’m not saying that this lineup is the best option for the Bulls, but to not even try it? That’s ridiculous.
If Markkanen and Dunn were healthy at the beginning of the season, I have to assume that this lineup would have at least been tested a little bit, especially under the offensive-minded Fred Hoiberg.
Now, health isn’t the problem. Both Markkanen and Dunn are healthy and playing solid minutes. The problem is new head coach Jim Boylen has basically given up on Jabari Parker.
In the last month of Bulls basketball, Parker has only seen 18 total minutes of action, including four minutes of game time against the Orlando Magic on December 13 and 14 minutes of game time against the Indiana Pacers on January 4.
I understand why Boylen doesn’t want to play Jabari. His jumper is inconsistent, he doesn’t play defense and the Bulls are deep at power forward. But it’s not like the Bulls are going to be winning games anytime soon. Wouldn’t it make sense to at least play Jabari in a reserve role to see if he’ll improve in his weaker areas over time?
It’s not like Parker is some 10-year veteran that has bounced around the league for his entire career. We still don’t know what he’s capable of as a basketball player. He’s only 23 years old and he’s a former second overall draft pick. The Bulls are in no way, shape or form a good enough team to pull a guy like Parker out of the rotation.
On the season, the Bulls are dead-last in offensive rating. If you’re wondering which teams are some of the best in offensive rating, just take a look at the playoff standings. There’s generally a pretty consistent correlation between offensive production and winning NBA games, especially in 2019.
I don’t think Jabari Parker is a piece that the Bulls can build around long-term. In fact, it’s nearly a guarantee that he won’t be a Bull next season. But the Bulls are 24th in the league in bench scoring and could really use some help.
The Bulls are a team that’s doing (almost) everything they can to lock up a top-3 draft pick, which makes this the perfect time to experiment with some unique lineup combinations. Maybe they could role out a small-ball bench unit with Jabari Parker playing the four and Bobby Portis playing the five?
If nothing else, it would be a shame for the Bulls to trade Jabari before even attempting the lineup that most fans went into this season expecting to see (Dunn, LaVine, Parker, Markkanen and Carter).
With all that being said, don’t be surprised if Parker gets traded before cracking the Bulls’ rotation. It feels like the coaching staff has already given up on him.