For all the bumps the Chicago Bulls have hit on their way to a 26-29 record through the All-Star Break this season, things in the Windy City haven't been all bad so far. The highlight of the season has undoubtedly been Coby White's rise to potential stardom, as he's taken full advantage of the opportunity to impress while the Bulls' two primary guards have been sidelined.
Coby is averaging a tremendous 22.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.8 rebounds over his last 35 games. His playmaking, ball handling, and defensive prowess have all steadily improved since being drafted 7th overall in 2019, and now that he's shooting at above a 40% clip from beyond the arc, he has all the tools necessary to become an All-Star caliber player in this league.
Still, it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Bulls hold a losing record even with White's excellence dragging the team upward. Injuries have devastated Chicago's rotation, so if the Bulls want to remain competitive and in the playoff picture, they're going to need a few more players to overperform and compensate for the losses.
As good as Coby White has been, the Bulls wouldn't still be in the playoff race if not for the contributions of these 3 players.
3. Andre Drummond
Entering his age-30 season and being six years removed from his last All-Star appearance, I doubt many were holding out high hopes for Andre Drummond this season. At best, he was seen as a serviceable backup big. Drummond has managed to flip the script on its head, however, as his solid play has helped restore his image in a big way.
Averaging 8.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in just 16.7 minutes per game off the bench looks solid, but it doesn't tell the whole story. He's actually managed to average 17 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in the 9 games he's started this season, leading many fans to question if he'd be a more impactful full-time starter than Nikola Vucevic on this team.
Whether that's true or not, I believe Drummond has done more than enough to secure himself a well-deserved payday as he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.
2. Ayo Dosunmu
Speaking of players who have stepped up to deliver big performances when bumped into the starting lineup, Ayo Dosunmu has displayed a lot of growth and will continue to be a key piece for this team as long as he continues producing at this level. Averaging 10.1 points and 2.5 rebounds on the year, Ayo has been forced to continue playing a larger role than expected in the absence of Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball.
After earning All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2022, Dosunmu admittedly took a step backward as his three-point shot became increasingly unreliable last season. He's spent a great deal of time with Chicago's new shooting coach Peter Patton to address these issues, and he's already begun to reap the benefits. Ayo's three-point success rate has skyrocketed from a poor 31.2% to an elite 41.7% in just one season.
He seems to be getting hot at just the right time too, as Dosunmu averaged 16.1 points while shooting 57.6% from the field in Chicago's final 12 games before the All-Star Break. If he keeps playing like this, I wouldn't rule the Bulls out just yet.
1. Alex Caruso
Let's be honest, nobody else was going to be at the top of this list. Amid his best offensive season to date, Alex Caruso seems to finally be putting it all together on both ends of the court to become arguably the best role player in the NBA. This isn't pure biased conjecture either, as the stats back it up.
Caruso is converting on 40.1% of his long-range attempts while still attacking the rime with elite efficiency, scoring on 72% of his shot attempts within three feet of the basket. His excellent shot profile has resulted in Caruso posting a career-high 62.8% true shooting percentage (league average is 58.3%) and the first positive offensive BPM score of his career.
As a result, Caruso currently ranks 41st in the NBA in BPM as a whole, and 10th in defensive BPM. Pretty good for someone who isn't a top 100 player in the league, eh?