3 former Chicago Bulls that have shined since leaving the team
Former Chicago Bulls shining since leaving the team: Wendell Carter Jr.
The former Duke Blue Devils third-year center Wendell Carter Jr. was the most significant name that the Bulls dealt out on deadline day last month. WCJ was a huge part of that trade deal for the Bulls that landed them the likes of forward Al-Farouq Aminu and the two-time All-Star big man Vucevic from the Magic.
It was not all that long ago that the Georgia native and 6-foot-10 and 270 pound big man WCJ was the seventh overall pick of the Bulls in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, and was a huge piece of this young core. Coming into this current regular season, the question still loomed large for the Bulls if WCJ and fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen could be the future frontcourt for this rebuild.
Since then, the Bulls have largely remodeled the frontcourt rotation around Vooch, Theis, and other forwards like veteran Thaddeus Young and rookie Patrick Williams.
It does look like it was best for WCJ’s game that he was shipped off out of Chicago before entering the final year of his rookie contract. Since landing with the Magic, in 13 games played (all but three of which he’s started in), WCJ averaged a career-best 14.5 points per game, 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks. And he’s shot an impressive 57.8 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line.
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WCJ has completely turned around his game since landing with the Magic. Most of his counting stats, shooting percentages, and advanced metrics are improved compared to how they looked with the Bulls in the last two seasons. His box plus/minus rating now sits at 1.5, along with .171 win shares per 48 minutes, 21.9 player efficiency rating, and a 62.9 true shooting percentage.