Chicago Bulls: Load management a priority for Otto Porter Jr.

It would be a wise move for the coaching staff of the Chicago Bulls to prioritize keeping the minutes right for small forward Otto Porter Jr.

The wing spot for the Chicago Bulls quickly dwindled down in depth through the preseason and Training Camp. Since the Bulls are going through injury problems with second-year small forward and the 2018 first round draft pick Chandler Hutchison that could cause him to miss time early in the regular season, the wing depth off the bench will thin out. It also doesn’t help that fourth-year fellow former first round pick and shooting guard Denzel Valentine got off to a really slow start in the preseason.

If Hutchison misses a lot of time with his lingering hamstring injury in the early portion of the regular season, then a likely replacement would be Valentine if he proved he could handle that more versatile role. But there’s little proof that head coach Jim Boylen should trust that Valentine could thrive in that role from what we saw from him during the five-game preseason slate.

Another factor that will hurt the Bulls on the wing is the hamstring injury to guard Shaquille Harrison. While Harrison wouldn’t be a starter on the wing, he can be a solid perimeter defending to opposing threes. He might miss the regular season opener along with Hutchison, as both are trying to recover from those looming hamstring problems.

Beyond Hutchison, the wing depth will likely involve Boylen patching together options from shooting guard and power forward. Behind standout small forward Otto Porter Jr., the Bulls don’t have a whole lot to rely upon at the three. The idea of signing a small forward to patch this hole for the time being is also a fairly common discussion by now.

The risk of losing Porter Jr. to injury would be too great for the Bulls to place too much on his shoulders early on. According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, load management will be prioritized by Boylen for Porter Jr.’s playing time at least early in the regular season.

We could be looking at a situation where Porter Jr. only plays in 30 minutes a night max. And when it looks like he could be getting overworked or fatigued, he could be limited altogether in certain games. That would be more viable once Hutchison returns to the rotation or Valentine gets going in good form.

The Bulls open up the regular season slate on Oct. 23 on the road at the Spectrum Center against the Charlotte Hornets. Their second game of the season comes just two days later as they travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 25.

Considering the idea of landing former Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings wing Iman Shumpert was even on the table of late, the Bulls are close to desperation mode to figure out this wing depth problem. But as long as Porter Jr. stays healthy and productive early in the regular season (and hopefully the entire way through), this group should be fine.