Chicago Bulls: Antonius Cleveland could be a hidden gem

Can the Chicago Bulls develop Antonius Cleveland into their next great defensive stopper?

Did you see Antonius Cleveland shut down the Chicago Bulls‘ own first rounder, Chandler Hutchinson, in their game against the Atlanta Hawks in their summer league matchup?

It turns out that this kid has been a beast guarding opposing NBA ball handlers or wings, and has been flying under-the-radar in spite of his spectacular defensive talent and his impressive rim-slashing moves.

Oh, and he can also shoot from long range but he gets his production mostly off scrappy offensive smarts like rim putbacks or knocking down a 3 from a kick out pass.

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Cleveland reminds some Bulls fans of Jimmy Butler, and might actually be more athletic and a faster defender who might be already better on offense than Butler was during his first few seasons.

If you like what you see in his highlight reel and in the recent Summer League, the Chicago Bulls may have gotten themselves a steal with this young 3-and-D guard who is reminiscent of their own former defensive guard, Thabo Sefalosha.

In the Summer League, Cleveland averaged 9.7 points, 1.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks and consistently stifled the opponent’s wing player opposite him. In this writer’s humble opinion, he could play himself into finishing games as the defensive anchor alongside Kris Dunn to keep opponents from catching up if the Bulls have built any kind of margin on offense.

Denzel Valentine nor Antonio Blakeney cannot guard break outs, rim runners or even his opposing guard match up, but Cleveland could be Chicago’s answer if he develops the right way.

If the Chicago Bulls ever lost Dunn to any kind of injury next season, this kid should be able to fill in his shoes as a defensive sort of point guard. His NBA game is already there and when he played for both Golden State and Dallas, the kid has been able to go toe to toe with the first round lottery draft point guards or better.

If Gar and Paxson give this kid a break and guarantee his contract, he can develop into the team’s best defensive stopper in the backcourt.

The Bulls’ bench mob now has probably the best cogs since John Salmons and Taj Gibson in their prime: Bobby Portis as big and athletic blitz defender, Cris Felicio as a defensive wall in the paint backstopping for either Wendell Carter or Robin Lopez, both as serviceable rim protectors, and if the Bulls chose an all-defensive backcourt, Cleveland can even play alongside Kris Dunn for in-your-shorts defense on opposing point guards.

The eye test has always been my chosen measure of any NBA player’s worthiness and not really the stat sheet. Antonius Cleveland is so underrated right now and if coach Fred Hoiberg chooses this kid as a backstopper to balance out Antonio Blakeney’s wild shooting, the team looks really deep in the backcourt.

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I would hate to lose this kid in the team’s training camp to any kind of injury, and even if he gets hurt for a while, it is in the Bulls’ best interest to keep him for the long term. If you’ve watched his highlight reel, he may even be the Chicago Bulls’ next slamdunk champion.

Old Bulls’ lineups always prided themselves with workhorse defensive dobermans as a main ingredient in winning seasons. Antonius Cleveland should get a guaranteed contract from Gar and Paxson if only to assure a winning season with the defensive end.

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