Where to look for Chicago Bulls in free agency?
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Cast in a role that required too much of him in Golden State, Chicago could make a great next home for Kelly Oubre Jr.
The Tsunami Papi struggled as the second option in Golden State behind Stephen Curry, shooting just 43.9 field goal percentage, his lowest since the 2017-2018 season which he spent with the Washington Wizards.
Despite his struggles in Oakland, Oubre Jr. has a lot to offer as a third or fourth option scorer. Behind Vucevic and LaVine in Chicago could be the perfect role for him to thrive.
It’s become extremely clear this year that he is not an outside shooter (31.6 3P%), making him a horrible fit for Golden State’s style of play.
What Oubre Jr. does bring, however, is athletic scoring and rebounding on the wing, making him a strong option to play power forward in smaller lineups.
His highlight reel of dunks speaks for itself.
Kelly Oubre Jr. showin' off the ups 💪 pic.twitter.com/x5UKvk2rFR
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 10, 2021
If he were to start beside Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic in the frontcourt, his slashing abilities would help create options for Vucevic to score from the perimeter, or off a dump pass in the paint.
Still just 25, he fits in perfectly next to LaVine (26 years old) as part of the Bulls young-ish core.
He didn’t fully live up to the high expectations that came with playing next to Curry, but it is possible that Oubre Jr. could succeed in a new environment in Chicago.