Chicago Bulls: 3 free agent targets that fit best with Billy Donovan

3) Chicago Bulls free agent targets that fit well with Donovan: Emmanuel Mudiay

At the outset of his NBA career, the former seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft of the Denver Nuggets and 6-foot-3 and 200 pound point guard Emmanuel Mudiay really did not live up to the hype. But Mudiay also felt like a classic case of too much pressure and expectation being placed on his shoulders all too fast.

Largely as a product of volume scoring, Mudiay received 2015-16 All-Rookie Team honors, but that’s really his lone accolade since entering the NBA five years ago. Mudiay has now played for three teams during his still young NBA career. The 24-year-old point guard spent three seasons with the Nuggets, two with the New York Knicks, and one with the Utah Jazz.

Mudiay played in 54 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season with the Jazz (starting in just two of them). He averaged 7.3 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.2 blocks. And Mudiay shot a much improved 46.2 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Over the course of the last two seasons with the Jazz and Knicks, Mudiay really wasn’t a complete negative presence on the floor for the first time in his career. His game is finally trending up, and his natural volume scoring and playmaking ability is something that a lot of teams could use off the bench.

Donovan showed the ability to position volume scoring guards well off the bench during his five years with the Thunder. It feels like he could be a nice fit under Donovan with the Bulls, on a contract that could cost this team less than $5 million per year.