Chicago Bulls: Signing Stanley Johnson misses what this team needs

A newsworthy signing emerged for the Chicago Bulls on the afternoon of Sep. 6, just a few weeks ahead of the start of Training Camp, in the form of the former Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors small forward Stanley Johnson. The former lottery pick hasn’t really found traction at any one of his three prior landing spots.

Johnson has now spent four seasons with the Pistons, two seasons with the Raptors, and one with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is starting to become a true journeyman early in his NBA career. At 25 years old, this is the fourth different team that Johnson could play in at least one regular season game with.

This is not where the former Arizona Wildcats star wing and eighth overall pick of the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft envisioned himself more than five years into his pro career.

If nothing else, this move to sign Johnson does add one more spot in the rotation that is filled. And the Bulls could use more defensive help, which is something that Johnson can bring to the table. But there are other question marks that come about with this signing.

The deal was reported by multiple sources, including Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Sep. 6.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago confirmed the signing of Johnson and that the Bulls have one true roster spot left, and one two-way contract slot to fill, ahead of the start of the 2021-22 regular season.

If the Bulls wanted to get help for head coach Billy Donovan in terms of wing depth and defensive ability, then adding Johnson works. But there are other positional needs that the Bulls really need to address ahead of the start of the preseason.

That is mainly at the power forward position, where the Bulls are very thin on the bench. These newly acquired forwards Derrick Jones Jr. and Johnson aren’t going to be able to reliably play effective minutes at the four for the Bulls. Those two can play at the four in some small-ball lineups, but not on a consistent basis.

Stanley Johnson looking to challenge for bench minutes for the Chicago Bulls next season

Although, there were some flashes that Johnson showed to be more effective than usual in playing minutes at the four. Two seasons ago with the Raptors, Johnson played 93 percent of his minutes at power forward. And that led to him posting his best on/off-court net rating from the past three seasons.

Johnson is likely to play most of his minutes at the three or the four for the Bulls. It will be difficult for him to pass up Jones on the depth chart. But there might be an opportunity to take some minutes away from the likes of shooting guard Javonte Green and/or shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr.

It will be important for Johnson to have a strong preseason and Training Camp showing for the Bulls to earn a spot in this rotation where he can at least get some significant minutes off the bench. He’ll be joining a group of wings that are also known for standing out on the defensive end of the floor. Jones, Brown, and Green are no slouches on defense by any means.

Donovan likely knows what he’s getting in terms of two-way potential from Johnson, though. According to a piece from The Oklahoman back in 2015, Johnson stated that the Oklahoma City Thunder told him they thought he was the “best two-way player in the draft”. That was back when Donovan was OKC’s first-year head coach.

Moreover, the Bulls will be looking to improve in a lot of the areas where Johnson showed new signs of life last season. He shot a career-best 32.8 percent from beyond the arc last season, which is still not great, but it is an improvement. Johnson shot more three-pointers for the Raptors last season, posting a career-high .588 three-point attempt rate.

The improved shooting from downtown and the free-throw line last season led to Johnson also registering a career-best .519 true shooting percentage. All told, it is a good sign that Johnson also registered a career-best 102 offensive rating from last season.

On the flip side of the coin, there are some reasons to have concerns about this signing. You obviously don’t want someone that is shooting less than 33 percent from three-point range taking such a high frequency of attempts from downtown.

There are better options in terms of those who can thrive in this rotation in catch-and-shoot looks and shooting off-the-dribble. The Bulls should use Johnson as someone who can score near the rim and from the mid-range. He also can get to the free-throw line at a decent frequency, and shot the ball at a good clip from the charity stripe last season at 80 percent.

On defense, the Bulls are at least getting a solid on and off-ball wing in Johnson who can defend at the three and the four. And Johnson is a very effective wing/forward defender. Last season on defense, he allowed a three-point shooting percentage of just 33 when guarding forwards.

Johnson also tied a career-high 2.5 steal percentage and had a solid 1.8 block percentage with the Raptors last season. It’s clear that the Bulls are getting a plus defender out of Johnson.

All in all, the signing of Johnson is something that could add a good defensive wing that is starting to show some new signs of life shooting from the field and the free-throw line. But the fact of the matter is that it’s hard to see Johnson being more effective for the Bulls at forward than someone like Brown or Jones.

With two roster spots remaining ahead of the start of Training Camp and the preseason in a few weeks, the Bulls are getting a clearer picture of what the compete rotation will look like. The preseason slate is set to open up on Oct. 5 at home at the United Center against a divisional foe in the Cleveland Cavaliers.