Chicago Bulls: Was that just Stanley Johnson’s final chance in the NBA?

One of the more interesting signings that the Chicago Bulls made entering Training Camp and the preseason last month was the former Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and New Orleans Pelicans small forward Stanley Johnson. Signed to a non-guaranteed contract ahead of the start of camp and the preseason, Johnson was one of multiple wing/forward additions to the roster since last month.

But it was hard to find where exactly Johnson could contribute value for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls heading into the season. Yet, signing someone like Johnson can still make sense if it pans out in the end. That’s just not the fate that Johnson faced during this brief preseason/camp run with the Bulls.

Not showing a whole lot of ability to make any noise offensively, it felt like the only role that Johnson would be able to assume with the Bulls was as a defensive specialist. He showed some value as a solid wing defender that is pretty switchable and smart off-ball in the last few seasons. But the Bulls have other players in the rotation that can do that, with a better offensive skill set than Johnson.

Chicago Bulls waive Stanley Johnson this weekend

Early this weekend, the Bulls announced that both Johnson and rookie forward Troy Baxter Jr. were waived. Johnson was at least around for the Bulls for roughly one month. But the Bulls signed Baxter Jr. just as soon as they waived him in the last week.

Johnson did get to play in all four preseason games for Donovan and the Bulls. And he got around 10 minutes on the floor per game during this preseason slate. He averaged 3.3 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, no steals, and no blocks. And Johnson shot 33.3 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, and was perfect on two attempts from the free-throw line.

But that clearly wasn’t enough for Johnson to make the Bulls’ roster heading into the regular season. There looked to be a shot for him to get the final two-way contract slot along with second-year point guard Devon Dotson. The last two-way contract slot wound up going to forward Tyler Cook, though.

The emerging question mark for Johnson now is what will happen in the next steps of his NBA career. Johnson hasn’t found traction with any one team, and it feels like he’s starting to run out of chances. The 25-year-old former eighth overall pick of the Pistons in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft hasn’t lived up to the hype, despite getting chances with four or five different teams in about the last half-decade.

Johnson could find a role for himself in the NBA if he establishes himself as more of a defensive specialist. But he’s got to defend at an even higher level than he does now if he wants to stick in a role like that in the league over the long term.

The Bulls finished up the preseason with a spotless record of 4-0 following the finale win at home at the United Center over the Memphis Grizzlies from back on Oct. 15. Donovan and the Bulls will open up the regular season slate on Oct. 20 on the road against the Detroit Pistons.