2) Chicago Bulls who deserve bigger roles
Just ahead of his 23th birthday, the former Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors rookie guard Zach Norvell will get the chance to make the 15-man roster of the team from his hometown. The Chicago native and former Washington Huskies product Norvell is getting the test that he likely wanted last season in Bulls Training Camp; which is the chance to become a regular rotation player.
It won’t be easy, though, for Norvell to work his way into the backcourt rotation for the Bulls. They already signed the likes of the former Brooklyn Nets veteran 34-year-old shooting guard Garrett Temple out of free agency this offseason. And he’s still be competing with the likes of combo guard Tomas Satoransky, point guard Ryan Arcidiacono, shooting guard Denzel Valentine, point guard Devon Dotson, etc. for a role in this backcourt.
Norvell played in just five games during his rookie campaign last season 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, 0.4 steals, and no blocks. Norvell shot 25.0 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 100.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Given the gifted physical tools and floor spacing ability that Norvell showed during his time with the Huskies in college, he is definitely worth a shot from Karnisovas and the Bulls. If he shows out in Training Camp, then he’s worth giving more of a shot heading into the regular season with the Bulls than he got with the Lakers and Warriors last season as a rookie.