Chicago Bulls: 2 studs and 1 dud from the win over the Cavs

Studs for the Chicago Bulls in the win over the Cavs: Alize Johnson

The first stud up on the list for the Bulls in this close road win over the Cavs to keep the undefeated run in the preseason going is the former Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers power forward Alize Johnson. The rising 6-foot-7 and 215-pound 25-year-old forward is filling an extremely versatile and valuable role for Donovan and the Bulls through three games in the preseason.

Johnson actually played a lot of minutes at the five in the last two preseason games for the Bulls. He’s using his underrated rebounding ability and scrappiness on the defensive end of the floor to challenge some other talented bigs that he’s faced in the last couple of games. Johnson was often matched up against the likes of Cavs bigs Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. And he held his own down low.

In this win over the Cavs, Johnson registered 14 points in just 18 minutes on the floor, 11 rebounds (including three on the offensive glass), one assist, one steal, no blocks, and no turnovers. And he shot 5-of-6 from the field, didn’t have any attempts from beyond the arc, and was a solid 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

The main downside to this game for Johnson was how quickly he got into foul trouble. This is an important trend to watch moving forward. He racked up five personal fouls in a span of just 18 minutes. That is a big reason why he only got 18 minutes on the floor in this game.

So far during the preseason, Johnson has averaged around 19.5 points per 36 minutes, 23 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and one block. That type of production is going to be valuable for the Bulls heading into the regular season. And he was fantastic off the bench in this win over the Cavs.