1) Players that must go for rebuild to advance: Otto Porter Jr.
Yet another player that isn’t a huge hold up for this Bulls team but doesn’t look like he will have a long term future in the Windy City is the veteran 6-foot-8 and 200 pound 27-year-old small forward Otto Porter Jr. So far this season, it was the same old story for OPJ with the Bulls as he’s gone much of the campaign dealing with nagging lower-body injuries.
The Bulls also slotted OPJ in more of a sixth or seventh man role most of the way thus far. He wasn’t really a critical piece to the team’s success at this point of the season. There’s a chance he could be dealt at the deadline since his role with this team at this point isn’t very clear. He’s only played in a little more than half of the games for the Bulls so far this season.
If Karnisovas and the Bulls are not able to deal out OPJ at the trade deadline on March 25, then he might be a buyout candidate. He’s in the final year of his current contract, which means he might not be the highest paid player on the Bulls cap sheet for too much longer.
All in all, don’t expect OPJ to play a huge role in either the Bulls success or demise, whatever happens down the stretch this season.
When he has been healthy for the Bulls this season, OPJ is one of the more efficient and experienced players in this rotation. He’s averaged 10.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks. And OPJ shot 42.4 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.8 percent from the free-throw line.