5 defensive stoppers the Chicago Bulls wish they still had

Much like the situation with Vonleh, the Chicago Bulls did have a nice value defensive piece in the rotation during the 2017-18 season with the fourth-year shooting guard David Nwaba. The 27-year-old Nwaba has played with four different teams since breaking into the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2016-17 season.

Since his rookie season with the Lakers, Nwaba also played with the Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Brooklyn Nets. His best seasons in terms of defensive production thus far did come during his brief stint with the Bulls and this season so far with the Nets. And he fills that three-and-D mould that a lot of NBA teams look for nowadays.

Although the role for Nwaba deeper down the bench for the Nets was limited so far, his 1.0 defensive box plus/minus rating shows that head coach Kenny Atkinson could be using him in better spots than he is so far. Nwaba is also averaging an insane 2.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per 100 possessions so far.

What we’ve learned from Nwaba’s production in six outings with the Nets this season is the fact that he’s great when given the chance to standout on defense. His physical tools and athleticism at the two makes him a special weapons to utilize in different spots off the bench. His small price tag would’ve made him a solid get for the Bulls during the offseason.