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Chicago Bulls: Could Otto Porter Jr. put together an All-Star season?

By Willie Lutz

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 9: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Chicago Bulls smiles during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 9, 2019 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 9: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Chicago Bulls smiles during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 9, 2019 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After impressing during the healthy portion of his so far short time in Chicago, Otto Porter Jr. could be due for a huge 2019-2020 NBA Season.

Heading into the 2019-2020 NBA Season (which tips exactly two months from today), many are looking to players like Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to make an All-Star push in year-three of the Bulls rebuild. However, one of the team’s recent additions, Otto Porter Jr., could be in line for an impressive campaign of his own.

Selected third overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards saw an All-Star future for the 6-foot-8 Georgetown Hoya. Even when they spent big on his 4-yr., $104-million, Washington played the game of potential on Porter. In his NBA career, he’s taken time to develop but is now a fairly good offensive threat.

It’s not unheard of for someone like Porter to make this kind of leap. He’s just 25-years-old and is an overall pretty efficient player (15.8 PER), which is a big part of why the Chicago Bulls took a risk on him at last year’s trade deadline.

Last season, Porter played some of the best basketball of his 6-year NBA career, importantly showing out in his first 15 games as a Chicago Bull. During that span, he averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and shot 48.8% from three.

For Chicago, the acquisition of Porter brought their best team basketball since

Jimmy Butler

a healthy Derrick Rose ran the show. In his first 10 games, the team went 7-3 before losing their next 5 games with Porter on the floor.

Importantly, Chicago gave their scorers a lot more opportunities this offseason with their roster moves. Adding Tomas Satoransky gives the Bulls a sturdy distributor, while Thaddeus Young and Luke Kornet give defenders legitimate players to check inside. While Coby White might demand more scoring opportunities than others, he’s also a really creative distributor, who could feed Porter a bunch of drive-and-kick looks.

Getting Porter touches from three should be a priority for Jim Boylen’s offense this season. If he’s making them, Porter could be closer to a 20-point scorer on average; that kind of clip could very well net him an All-Star birth, especially if he’s shooting anywhere close to his regular-season averages last year of 46.5% from the field and 40.6% from three.

Porter is a lesser defender, but if when he’s going on offense, he can turn into an absolute force. In his best season in Washington, the 2016-2017 season, he posted a 129 offensive rating as a starter on the 5th-seeded squad that was a Game 7 away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

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If Porter makes an All-Star caliber leap this season, the Bulls roster will make an even greater leap than the on-paper squad right now. With Porter’s health and rise to All-Star standing, the Bulls would have a really, really good shot of not only making the playoffs but being a tough out in the first round.

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