1. Wendell Carter Jr., Center
Maybe the most improved player from the first half of the regular season for the Chicago Bulls was second-year center Wendell Carter Jr. Thanks to his solid play on both ends of the floor, the frontcourt for the Bulls looked to have a much brighter future ahead. But the down play of power forward Lauri Markkanen tainted the outlook of the Bulls future frontcourt a bit.
You don’t know the impact that WCJ makes for the Bulls on both ends of the floor until former New York Knicks center Luke Kornet and Cristiano Felicio have to get more playing time, and/or a starting role. Kornet isn’t all that bad since he can space the floor and protect the rim a bit, but Felicio is pretty bad.
The combination of both Markkanen and Carter Jr. out with various ailments at the moment is the lack of frontcourt depth available. It is definitely worth mentioning the pelvic injury to Markkanen, but he could miss less time than any of the other three Bulls players on the list. Carter Jr. looks to miss at least six weeks with this ankle sprain he suffered in early January.
The return of rookie big man Daniel Gafford to the rotation for the Bulls can help the lack of frontcourt depth. He’s got the highest number of win shares per 48 minutes of any regular starter or rotation player on this team. But Carter Jr. showed a lot of improvement in his game, including better shooting range, rim protection, and extended court vision this season compared to his rookie campaign.