Chicago Bulls: Ranking every player at the quarter-mark
Chicago Bulls player rankings at the quarter mark: The something left to be desired tier
This tier could be called a number of different terms. I went with the “something left to be desired tier”. It would also be fitting to call it the “to-be improved tier”. All of the players here have shown flashes for the Bulls and are likely to be meaningful contributors for the rest of the season. But there is still obviously room to improve for each of these players, or they are mostly those players that are doing the dirty work for this squad.
10. Coby White, PG
The one player that has the most potential to shoot up this list as the season moves along is the third-year point guard Coby White. After making his season debut a couple of weeks ago in a road win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the production was spotty from Coby. He’s put up some real dud performances, but it’s clear that he’s still working his way back from a shoulder injury and shaking off the rust.
Yet, Coby does manage to crack the top 10 here thanks to two very special performances to spark Bulls wins off the bench. He registered a season-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field in a win over the Magic on Nov. 26. And he was a spark off the bench with 14 points in a win over the New York Knicks last week.
9. Tony Bradley, C
Among the most underrated value signings of the offseason for executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley was the former Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers big man Tony Bradley. Whenever the Bulls start to get thin in the frontcourt unit for whatever reason (injuries, on-court performance issues, etc.), Bradley is going to be a player that Donovan turns to off the bench.
Bradley did give the Bulls some good minutes off the bench of late, averaging around 10 points per 36 minutes, 11 rebounds, one assist, 0.5 steals, and two blocks. He’s also already got 0.5 win shares under his belt this season, showing that he has provided some real value off the bench of late.
8. Ayo Dosunmu, PG
Another guard capable of shooting up this list in the weeks and months ahead this season is the former Illinois Fighting Illini star junior point guard and Bulls’ rookie Ayo Dosunmu. While White works his way back into a comfortable spot in the rotation, Dosunmu serves as another spark plug in the backcourt unit among the reserves.
It really looks like only a matter of time before Dosunmu could challenge for a seventh or eighth man spot in the rotation. He’s close to really figuring it out on both ends of the floor.
It’s very impressive that a rookie second-round pick is already averaging around six points per game, two rebounds, one assist, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks, while shooting 47 percent from the field, 43 percent from beyond the arc, and 64 percent from the free-throw line.
7. Javonte Green, SG/F
To round out this somewhat of a middle tier for the Bulls, we have the former Boston Celtics shooting guard/wing Javonte Green. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent has taken his game to new heights for the Bulls this season, as evidenced by the fact that he has nine starts on the season. That is more than twice as many starts as Green had in his two years with the Celtics before landing with the Bulls at the trade deadline last season.
Green’s counting stats won’t leap off the page at you, but he’s doing a lot of the valuable dirty work that is helping the Bulls win games. He’s also doing it in an efficient manner, which is commendable.
So far, Green is averaging around six points per game, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and 0.5 blocks, while shooting a solid 49 percent from the field, 39 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.