Chicago Bulls: Bobby Portis Ready To Earn Larger Role In 2016-17

The departures of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah in the Windy City should clear up some playing time in the frontcourt for one of the Chicago Bulls’ brightest young stars

Aided by Jerian Grant, the Finals MVP of Vegas Summer League, and rookie Denzel Valentine, who hit the game-winner to give the Chicago Bulls the Vegas Title, Bobby Portis helped the team go 7-0 in Sin City behind stellar averages of 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds a game on 42 percent shooting from three-point range, all team highs.

Despite his outstanding performances, Portis will still find himself battling for minutes in Chicago, even with the likes of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah nowhere to be found.

Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and Cristiano Felício are all still members of the Bulls and Robin Lopez has been added to the mix as well. This makes it extremely difficult to imagine a scenario where all of these players get the minutes they deserve.

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The Bulls’ backcourt additions, however, could actually help Portis’ case to be a part of the starting lineup, or at least be a key bench player. None of Jimmy Butler and newcomers Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade are known as knockdown three-point shooters.

In fact, Rondo had the highest three-point percentage of his career last season, at only 36.5 percent. Butler only connected on 31.2 percent of his shots from downtown and Wade was even worse at an astonishingly low 15.9 percent.

No, that’s not a typo. Wade shot 15.9 percent from long range.

Now, in this modern era, the more shooting you have, the more likely your team is to be successful. With those three on the perimeter and one of Felício, Lopez or Gibson likely starting at the center position, it comes down to Mirotic or Portis to round out the starting 5.

Mirotic showed big flashes of what he could be last year but as the season wore on, the organization and their fans alike grew tired of his lackluster defensive efforts and his inability to be agile or quick in any term of the word.

He still finished the season shooting 39 percent from three, but has not developed into what some hoped he would be by now after making the All-Rookie First-Team in 2014-15.

Despite his flaws, the starting power forward spot is still Mirotic’s to lose and Portis will have to excel early if he wants more minutes to show what he can do.

Of the five frontcourt players the Bulls currently possess, Portis averaged the second most points (Mirotic 1st) and second most rebounds (Felício 1st) per 36 minutes last season. He also averaged 0.4 less turnovers per 36 minutes than both Lopez and Mirotic.

So, obviously, the one big advantage that Portis holds over Mirotic is his ability to be aggressive and get boards. His aggressive style has been on full display (see why here) even before he enter the NBA and if Portis wants any shot at upending Mirotic, he is going to have to continue to play with his heart on his sleeve like he does every night, something that Mirotic has definitely not demonstrated he can do.

Portis’ outstanding Summer League performance only strengthens his case for more minutes with the Chicago Bulls.

As long as he can keep knocking down those threes like he did in Las Vegas (the threes that Mirotic can already actually make in the regular season) and continue to rip down boards left and right, then you can book Portis in as the starting power forward in Chi-Town in no time at all.

All he has to do is earn it. And all it takes is one look at those “crazy eyes” and they’ll tell you that if there was ever someone aggressive and motivated enough to work hard and earn that playing time…

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It’s Bobby Portis.

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