A player that has missed a lot of game action over the course of the last two seasons or so for the Chicago Bulls, veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr., could do the same again in the team’s next game. When the Bulls and first-year head coach Billy Donovan take on the New York Knicks on the night of Feb. 1, taking the court without OPJ could be detrimental to their depth in the wing rotation.
The Bulls just got healthier on the wing with the return of the likes of Tomas Satoransky and Chandler Hutchison to the rotation more than one week ago. But OPJ hasn’t remained healthy consistently for the Bulls so far this season. Load management is going to be a critical part of the season for him.
OPJ is reportedly (per the Twitter timeline of K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago on the night of Jan. 31) listed as questionable when the Bulls take on the Knicks at home at the United Center on Feb. 1. He has missed three games already this season, due to load management and one other nagging injury issue. The back is the problem for OPJ at this point in time, though.
Bulls list Otto Porter Jr. as questionable vs. Knicks with his back issues.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 31, 2021
OPJ wasn’t very effective for the Bulls in their home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers over the weekend, specifically on the night of Jan 30. In that tough one point loss to the Blazers, OPJ registered seven points, three rebounds, three assists, and one turnover, while shooting 22.2 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.
OPJ’s effectiveness for Chicago Bulls
That led to one of the worst game scores, and to OPJ being a net negative when he was on the floor against the Blazers.
Maybe he could run on limited minutes against the Knicks on Feb. 1. He played in just shy of 25 minutes on the floor in the loss to the Blazers. That around the average that he’s had with the Bulls so far this season.
In 15 games played with the Bulls so far this season (six of which he’s started in), OPJ has played in around 23.5 minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged 12.2 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks. OPJ shot 46.0 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 84.4 percent from the free-throw line.
OPJ was very effective in spots off the bench (for the most part) so far this season. Donovan and the Bulls will miss him if he’s either out completely or on limited minutes against the Knicks. His three-and-D nature and ability to space the floor is hard to replace in this rotation.
OPJ and the Bulls now hold a record of 7-11 following their 123-122 loss to the Blazers at home on Jan. 30. They will try to snap their three-game skid against the Knicks at the United Center on Feb. 1, with tip off time set for 7 p.m. CT.