1) Chicago Bulls players bound to disappoint in second half
Wendell Carter Jr., Center
To round out this list of Bulls that could realistically disappoint in the second half of the regular season, we continue to keep the attention firmly on the frontcourt rotation. When healthy this season, the combination of Markkanen and third-year former Duke Blue Devils center Wendell Carter Jr. were very productive and efficient.
But the problem is that Markkanen and WCJ have played in well under a dozen games together for the Bulls at this point of the regular season. WCJ is the one of these two aforementioned Bulls big men that is currently healthy and running in the starting five. He has still missed a good amount of time this season already due to injury problems.
A lot of the reasons why Bulls fans should be concerned about Markkanen disappointing for them down the stretch this season should hold true for the 21-year-old WCJ. He’s still played in under two dozen of the nearly three dozen games that the Bulls had in the first half of the regular season schedule.
Since he returned from injury last month, WCJ was very effective for the Bulls. Hopefully that will keep down the stretch this season with WCJ getting some extra rest during the All-Star Break. In the 23 games that WCJ has played in for the Bulls this season, he’s averaging 12.3 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks. And he’s shot a much improved 53.5 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line.