Chicago Bulls: 3 players set to get more playing time in 2020-21
2) Chicago Bulls set to get more playing time
24. 2. player. Small Forward. Age: 27. Otto Porter Jr.. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Just by nature, if the veteran 6-foot-8 and 200 pound small forward Otto Porter Jr. is able to stay healthier than he did in the previous two years, more playing time is going to follow. Porter played in just 29 games since he first landed with the Bulls at the trade deadline during the 2018-19 regular season. He almost missed the entirety of last season too.
During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, OPJ played in just 14 games for the Bulls (nine of which he started in). Lower-body injuries ailed him throughout most of the season. And he averaged 11.9 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks. OPJ shot 44.3 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Playing in just 14 games last season was a career low for OPJ in any single campaign of his NBA run to date. He also played in 23.2 minutes per game, which is his lowest mark since the 2014-15 campaign. That season was OPJ’s second in the NBA, back in his days with the Washington Wizards.
Since the Bulls do have a pretty shocking lack of wing depth once again this season, they really need OPJ to stay healthy. If what ailed OPJ in the last two or three years is behind him this season, then he should get closer to around 29-32 minutes per game. He had limited minutes at times in his 14 games played last season since he was still working his way back from those lower-body injuries.