Chicago Bulls: 4 players who exceeded expectations in 2020-21

Chicago Bulls players who exceeded expectations in 20-21: Thaddeus Young

There might not be a better example of a player that defied expectations for the Bulls in the season that was than veteran 32-year-old forward Thaddeus Young. A year where Young set career bests in a number of key stat categories also saw him thrive in a number of different roles for Donovan and the Bulls.

It is true that trading for Vucevic largely displaced the role that Young previously held with the rotation post-deadline, but he was still solid for this team down the stretch. Young was expected to be a potential trade chip for the Bulls’ new front office regime this year. But he was anything of the sort, becoming one of the most valuable players for this team not named Zach or Nikola.

Young started out hot this season for Donovan and the Bulls. And he wound up averaging two more points per game, more than twice as many assists, and roughly 1.5 more rebounds per game, this season than he did last. He completely turned his game around compared to how he played with the Bulls in his first year during the 2019-20 campaign.

In the season that was, Young registered one of the 25 best wins above replacement ratings (per 538). And his overall RAPTOR at 4.7 was one of the 15 best in the NBA during the 2020-21 campaign. Yet, somehow Young still remained as one of the more underrated Bulls players at the end of this regular season slate.