Chicago Bulls: Comparing this team to our last playoff team
By Keith Cork
2016-17 Robin Lopez Per 36: 13.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.9 BPG, 49.3 FG%, 72.1 FT%, 1.9 TOV
Vs.
2019-20 Wendell Carter Jr. Per 36: 14.6 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.9 BPG, 56.4 FG%, 71.3 FT%, 1.8 TOV
The young Wendell has probably been the most consistent part of the Bulls rotation this year. Robin was a stalwart professional for several years for the Chicago Bulls. Which one would we take?
Scoring
As you can see from the numbers above, Wendell just has a knack for getting to the right spot on the floor for high percentage shots. Where RoLo had the sweeping jump hook from the post, Wendell has the lob finishes and the power game to counteract.
Wendell will probably prove to be the better shooter of the two from beyond 15 feet when all is said and done, but neither is great with this current data set.
Winner: WCJ takes the cake.
Defense
RoLo actually owned a 2.4 in Defensive Win Shares in 2016-17, while Wendell has only reached 1.3 so far this season. The blocks are not there for the young Wendell, and they really need to be with how much this Bulls team is being dunked on.
Wendell is pretty good at getting vertical and challenging without getting the block though. Robin owned a 108 Defensive Rating while Wendell pulled in a 104 rating. RoLo is a serviceable center in his own right, but Wendell is the only one playing defense on this Bulls team right now. He needs to cut out the fouling and stay on the floor to up his overall game.
Winner: WCJ is the better defender, with ample room for improvement.
Rebounding
I wrote about Wendell’s less than stellar rebounding in the slide show I previously linked in this article. But even if he’s in the back half of the starting centers in the current NBA, his 17.6 Total Rebound Percentage is significantly more than Robin’s 12.3%. His Defensive Rebounding Percent is far more too, at 21% to Robin’s 12%. There’s no question who the better rebounder is here.
Winner: Wendell.
Intangibles
Robin Lopez is probably one of the most hilarious people to ever don a Bulls uniform. If you ever watched any of those awful movies released by Bulls PR where Robin would act, often alongside Benny the Bull and a few of the Luvabulls, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Since Wendell is clearly winning this matchup handily, I’m giving this one to the funny guy. For funny guys everywhere, really.
In all seriousness though, Robin is one of the best on ball screeners I can recall seeing in a Bulls uniform and was a solid professional through a very turbulent time in the bulls organization. I think Bulls fans everywhere need to tip their caps to him for never complaining about what his role was and just going out there and playing the game to the best of his ability, even if he wasn’t great.
Winner: Robin