Chicago Bulls: Power ranking the top seven bench guys
By Luke Askew
The Chicago Bulls are one of the worst teams in the NBA in terms of bench production. How does each bench player stack up against one another, though?
The Chicago Bulls are sneakily putting together a fun (and skilled) starting lineup. The point guard position still needs some fixing, but Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Robin Lopez (or Wendell Carter Jr.) are all either really good or on their way to becoming really good.
How does Chicago’s bench perform, though?
It’s pretty simple, actually. The Bulls’ bench isn’t good.
Through the Bulls’ 69 regular season games in the 2018-19 season, they’re 24th in points per game, 27th in rebounds and 24th in assists. They’re simply not impacting games the way the Bulls need them to.
Some of this is due to the Bulls’ rebuild. Often times in the midst of a rebuild, the bench is comprised of youngsters trying to find their way in the league. That’s exactly how the Bulls’ bench is at the moment. The biggest question surrounding the Bulls’ bench is: How many of them will be around for the long haul?
It’s reasonable to assume that Chandler Hutchison will be on the team for a while since he was just recently drafted with a first-round pick. But after him, the bench situation is full of uncertainty.
With all that being said, let’s power rank the Bulls’ top seven bench players. For the purposes of this slideshow, we’re going to assume the Bulls’ starting lineup is Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Robin Lopez. We’re also going to exclude Wendell Carter Jr. (he would be starting if he was healthy), Denzel Valentine (injured for the entire season), Brandon Sampson (two-way player) and Rawle Alkins (two-way player).
Let’s dive into it!