Chicago Bulls: 3 players who are way too underutilized
1. Adam Mokoka, Shooting Guard
Developing wing depth should be one of the most crucial priorities for Boylen and the Chicago Bulls to emphasize down the stretch this season. The return to the lineup from the former Washington Wizards small forward Otto Porter Jr. helped out a bit, but the Bulls still aren’t getting on the right side of the win column.
If OPJ isn’t going to help the Bulls win games, then why risk much further injury to him after he wound up missing most of the regular season. OPJ had injury problems in the past, and it’s not a good idea for the Bulls to further that concern. There’s a host of other options that the Bulls could to turn on the wing, and not all of them will be free agents this summer like Valentine.
A good place for the Bulls to turn if they’re looking for alternative sources of wing production is the French native 6-foot-5 shooting guard Adam Mokoka. So far this season, Mokoka is averaging 2.9 points per game, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists, while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. He’s only played in 11 games, though.
The outburst from Mokoka that saw him score 15 points in less than six minutes on the floor in a loss to Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this year shot him into the national spotlight for a short bit of time.
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Mokoka actually doesn’t have a bad slot in the NBA real plus-minus rankings from ESPN. He is tied for 66th in the NBA in RPM with the Sacramento Kings wing Kent Bazemore, at -0.19. Getting Mokoka back in the positive for RPM could help show his value down the stretch, but he’s shown some impressive qualities in his limited appearances with the Bulls so far this season.