Chicago Bulls: 2 studs, 1 dud, from the undefeated preseason

Chicago Bulls studs from the preseason: Alize Johnson

Can you help but be impressed by what the Bulls got out of the former Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets power forward Johnson during the preseason?

I would hope that all Bulls fans were.

Johnson was likely the Bulls’ most efficient player in this undefeated run during the preseason. He was also one of the NBA’s most efficient players during the preseason. Johnson finished up the preseason third in the NBA in defensive rating and total rebounding percentage. And he finished up sixth in player efficiency rating.

A sparkling 37.9 player efficiency rating and 32.6 total rebounding percentage are clearly not realistic expectations from Johnson for any significant workload in the upcoming season. But Johnson did register a 23.5 player efficiency rating and 26.3 total rebounding percentage last season. It’s not out of the question to see him put up that type of efficiency during the regular season.

Johnson came in and made a positive impact right away in terms of rebounding, on-ball defense, and inside scoring efforts for the Bulls. The power forward was also adept in getting to the free-throw line during the preseason (2.25 attempts per game from the stripe).

In four games played during the preseason, Johnson averaged around eight points per game, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and 0.5 blocks. And he shot 75.0 percent from the field, missed on one attempt from downtown, and shot 88.9 percent from the charity stripe.

The countless insane efforts that Johnson gave the Bulls during the preseason on the boards gained a lot of possessions back. It’s incredible that he averaged nine total rebounds, and around three offensive boards, per game in around 13 minutes played per game. He’s going to be a key part of the frontcourt unit as a backup four during the regular season.