2. Cristiano Felicio
Position: Forward
Country: Brazil
The Brazilian squad is a who’s who of former and current NBA role players that a handful of Chicago Bulls fans might recognize. But the most recognizable Brazilian player for Bulls fans should be the big man Cristiano Felicio.
While Felicio is mostly known in a bad way for Bulls fans, he’s making a name for himself in the months leading up to the FIBA World Cup for Brazil. Felicio had a good debut for himself in pool play with 7 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, in a win over New Zealand on gameday one.
However, just because Felicio shows more competence against New Zealand than he does off the bench for the Bulls doesn’t mean that we should get ahead of ourselves for what to expect out of him next season. Felicio needs to show that level of effort and production against NBA level competition on a consistent basis to get any type of buy-in for his skill set.
But you can’t argue with the fact that his 13 rebound showing against New Zealand didn’t help the Brazilian side push to a 102-94 victory to start off the FIBA World Cup. He looked to be a dominant force down low and will be a key part of this Brazil team moving forward in pool play.