Chicago Bulls player rankings at the quarter mark: Upper tier
We have now arrived at the point of the rankings with some of the top players for the Bulls so far this season. This tier on the list includes those players that aren’t the core trio necessarily for the Bulls at the outset of the regular season, but those that are still some of the higher-usage and more relied upon on a nightly basis.
6. Nikola Vucevic, C
The one player on this list that we should hope to see vault into the top three before too long is the former Magic two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic. While Vucevic has improved his production really since a big win for the Bulls over the Nets prior to entering quarantine due to the league’s health and safety protocol a few weeks back, there’s still a long way for him to go.
In one respect, it feels like Vucevic’s play so far this season is perfectly described as “needs to be improved” or “something to be desired”. But he is starting to contribute at a high level and has helped to deliver some key wins.
Through just over a dozen games played this season, Vucevic has averaged around 14 points per game, 11 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. And he’s shot around 41 percent from the field, 28 percent from beyond the arc, and 64 percent from the free-throw line.
5. Derrick Jones Jr., F
While Vucevic missed a couple of weeks for the Bulls due to the league’s health and safety protocol, the former Heat and Portland Trail Blazers forward Derrick Jones Jr. was called upon to play key minutes at the five. And it’s hard to imagine that someone could’ve played those key minutes at the five, for the first time in his career no less, more admirably than Jones.
There are very few reserves for the Bulls this season as crucial as Jones. He’s also off to an extremely efficient start to this season, with a stout 1.4 box plus/minus, .216 win shares per 48 minutes, and a 17.8 player efficiency rating. He’s also one of the NBA leaders among forwards in true shooting percentage (.673) and block percentage (4.2).
4. Alex Caruso, G
Another player that has done just incredible things for Donovan and the Bulls at the outset of his run with the Bulls is the former Lakers defensive standout point guard Alex Caruso. It’s truly amazing to see Caruso making the impact he has out of the gates this season, which includes leading the NBA in steals per game (2.4) and steal percentage (3.9).
Caruso has helped to close plenty of games out this season for the Bulls. He has also proved in the first 20 games of this regular season slate that he is one of the premier perimeter defenders in the entire league.
One key metric that shows the true value that Caruso brought to the table for the Bulls so far this season is his on/off-court plus/minus per 100 possessions (at +11.2). That is the best mark of his career to date and is one of the best for the Bulls so far this season.