3 Bulls players that benefit most from adding Tristan Thompson

Chicago Bulls players that should immediately benefit from Tristan Thompson: Derrick Jones Jr.

One of the many ways that other Bulls players can benefit down the stretch this season from the addition of Thompson is the fact that some forwards can play closer to their traditional positions in this rotation. That likely means that forward Derrick Jones Jr. will be playing more time exclusively at the three and the four instead of mostly at the four and the five.

While there are certainly times when the insane versatility of Jones to play anywhere between the three and the five in small-ball lineups can be very valuable for Donovan and the Bulls, it will be good to let him play closer to his natural position.

So far this season, Jones actually played a career-high 13 percent of his minutes at the five. But the bulk of his minutes this season so far was played at the four (50 percent). Only 38 percent of his minutes have come at the three, which is good for a career-low.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Jones has a +11.0 plus/minus per 100 possessions when playing at the three or the four this season. But his plus/minus per 100 possessions this season when playing at the five sits at just -3.4. That is quite the differential.

With Thompson in the mix now, Jones can now play more of his minutes as a true forward. But his presence in this rotation will still allow Donovan to work him in the frontcourt unit if needed when small-ball lineups are really paying off.