Of the three non-undrafted signings that the Chicago Bulls made in this cycle of free agency, how does each grade out and fit in?
A rather pedestrian offseason for newly hired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and the Chicago Bulls didn’t see a whole lot happen in this cycle of free agency. Everything just happened really fast this offseason, from the start of the NBA Draft, to the lifting of the trade moratorium, to the start of this cycle of free agency. It all went down in the span of less than a week.
In the 2020 NBA Draft, Karnisovas and the Bulls had a confusing haul off the top. But a lot of Bulls fans are starting to buy into their lottery pick. The Bulls picked the former Florida State Seminoles freshman forward and the reigning ACC Sixth Man of the Year Patrick Williams fourth overall in the draft lottery. They also snagged the KK Mega Bemax 21-year-old big man Marko Simonovic 44th overall in the second round.
Karnisovas got great value on the undrafted free agent market with the former Kansas Jayhawks star sophomore point guard Devon Dotson signing.
However, on this list of grades for the Bulls free agent signings from the offseason, Dotson is not included. We’re just going through the three free agent signings that the Bulls made among non-rookies. That list includes the likes of former Brooklyn Nets veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple, former Bull and big man Noah Vonleh, and the second-year guard Zach Norvell. Maybe not all of those stick through Training Camp, but they are players worth watching in the coming weeks.
Here’s a deeper look into the definitive grades for the Bulls three free agent signings from the offseason.
3) Grading Chicago Bulls free agents
Although most Bulls fans might overlook the signing of the former Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors 6-foot-5 and 205 pound 22-year-old guard Norvell, it is definitely one that could turn out well. Norvell came out of the Washington Huskies hoops program with a lot of potential at the next level. He just didn’t get a consistent shot to develop and shine last season, traveling between the Lakers and Warriors.
This Norvell signing is a bit familiar for Bulls fans too since Norvell is a product of the Simeon Academy basketball program in Chicago. Signing Chicago natives is a favorite past time of this Bulls organization, but this one has more potential to it on the surface. Norvell’s gifted physical tools and impressive progression from his two years playing for the Huskies in college still could make this a promising signing.
During his two seasons playing for the Washington basketball program in college, Norvell averaged 13.8 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks. And he shot 44.4 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.6 percent from the free-throw line. His two-way skill set and stretch shooting ability might be able to translate if he’s put in the right situation in the next couple of years.
Moreover, Norvell only played in five games during his rookie campaign last season between his time with the Lakers and Warriors (none of which he started in). And he averaged 2.0 points per game, 1.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.4 steals. Norvell shot 25.0 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 100.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Grade: B
2) Grading Chicago Bulls free agents
It really feels like the former Indiana Hoosiers big man Vonleh is older than 25. He will be 25 years old at the tip off of the 2020-21 regular season, even though he’s already played for six different NBA teams. Vonleh even had a stint with the Bulls during the 2017-18 regular season, also the first year of the rebuild.
Last season, Vonleh split his time between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. Between his time with the Timberwolves and Nuggets last season, Vonleh played in 36 games (just one of which he started in). And he averaged 3.7 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Vonleh shot 56.5 percent from the field, 20.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.1 percent from the free-throw line.
When Vonleh played in 21 games for the Bulls during the 2017-18 regular season (starting in four of them), he was pretty efficient albeit in a limited role. He averaged 6.9 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks.
The career efficiency numbers from Vonleh paint a confusing picture. He’s registered a career -2.4 box plus/minus rating, -0.5 value over replacement player rating, .079 win shares per 48 minutes, 9.3 total win shares, 52.7 true shooting percentage, and 12.0 player efficiency rating. Vonleh is a good rebounder and solid on-ball defender down low, though.
This mostly seems like a solid value signing since Vonleh won’t cost the Bulls all that much and he’s well traveled. There’s not much reliable frontcourt depth that can stay healthy on a regular basis on the current Bulls roster. That makes this signing a pretty good one all things considered.
Grade: B+
1) Grading Chicago Bulls free agents
This former undrafted free agent signing that made his NBA debut back during the 2009-10 season with the Houston Rockets Temple made sense as an addition to the Bulls backcourt rotation. Karnisovas and the Bulls signed Temple for a one-year contract worth around $5 million. Since they were so strapped for cap space this offseason, signing a veteran like Temple isn’t the worst move.
However, it does feel like there were some more creative moves that Karnisovas could’ve made on the free agent market. Temple doesn’t feel like much of an upgrade, if any, over the likes of point guard Kris Dunn (signed with the Atlanta Hawks) and/or combo guard Shaquille Harrison (still on the free agent market).
The 34-year-old 6-foot-5 and 195 pound shooting guard Temple is a solid perimeter defender and just an overall intelligent player on both ends of the floor. He played in 62 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season with the Nets (35 of which he started in). And Temple averaged 10.3 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He shot 37.8 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.5 percent from the free-throw line.
The Temple signing could work out well for the Bulls. He was likely brought in to be a hybrid replacement of Dunn and Harrison as a solid one-on-one defender, and he can also bring that valuable veteran voice to the locker room. At least he could maybe help develop some of the younger guards/wings on this roster.