Chicago Bulls: Matt Thomas is an underrated tough-shot maker

One of the signings that is one of the most underrated for the Chicago Bulls among any in the past week is that of the former Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz sharpshooting guard Matt Thomas. The Illinois native and former Iowa State Cyclones standout guard was one of multiple players that the Bulls signed to a non-guaranteed contract to round out the roster heading into Training Camp and the preseason.

Thomas is the type of player that could make the Bulls roster in a niche role to get limited minutes off the bench for head coach Billy Donovan heading into next season. He could be a good value signing for the Bulls that helps to bring another knockdown shooter to the table for what would likely be a third unit role.

Two seasons ago, Thomas looked like he could be one of the better outside shooters around the NBA landscape. In his rookie season with the Raptors, Thomas shot nearly 48 percent from beyond the arc and better than 50 percent from inside the arc in more than 40 regular season games played.

In 19 games played with the Jazz down the stretch last season, Thomas started to lose his rhythm shooting from downtown. He shot just over 25 percent from beyond the arc and 40 percent from the field in his run with the Jazz.

Chicago Bulls giving a valued opportunity to bounce back for SG Matt Thomas

This is an opportunity for Thomas to reverse course and get back on track with his shooting efficiency. Thomas didn’t get a legitimate shot with the Jazz to find success last season. He hit the free agent market once again after just 19 games with the team.

And the Bulls could be getting a player here that has one specific noted skill set within his offensive arsenal that could make him a really good piece to add to the bench. Thomas is an underrated tough-shot maker, especially from deep. He was also incredibly efficient in shooting from the corners on three-pointers with the Raptors.

Thomas shot an insane 58.6 percent on corner three-point attempts during his season and a half with the Raptors. That included a whopping 75 percent of his corner three-pointers made during his time solely with the Raptors last season.

According to NBA advanced stats, Thomas shot better than 55 percent from beyond the arc when there was someone contesting the shot in “tight defense”. And throughout the last two seasons between his time with the Raptors and Jazz, Thomas still shot better than 45 percent on three-point attempts with tight defense contesting the shot.

It is also worth noting that Thomas shot 57.1 percent from inside the arc on contested field goal attempts with tight defense. He did take a step back in his shooting percentages with tight defense from two-point range. But that was true for a lot of his counting stats and shooting percentages when he landed with the Jazz down the stretch.

All in all, there is some potential in this signing by the Bulls. Thomas is a good shooter that showed off what he can do from downtown since his time in college playing for Iowa State. During his final two seasons at Iowa State, Thomas shot better than 44 percent from beyond the arc.

He is a sharpshooter that tends to live beyond the arc, with a career three-point attempt rate well north of .600. This could be a niche that could allow Thomas to earn a spot either on the 15-man roster or at least in the remaining two-way contract slot.

The Bulls are set to open up Training Camp in just over two weeks, specifically on Sep. 28. And then, the preseason slate tips off on Oct. 5 at home at the United Center against Lauri Markkanen and the Cleveland Cavaliers.