National Basketball Association

Bobby Portis to Start at Power Forward Against Pacers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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During training camp, Fred Hoiberg characterized the starting power forward spot as, “an open competition.” With three different guys starting in three consecutive preseason games, it sure seems that way. Tonight, Bobby Portis gets a crack at the starting lineup in tonight’s game against the Pacers.

The starting power forward spot has been a game of musical chairs early on in the preseason. First, it was Taj Gibson. Then, Nikola Mirotic got a crack at the starting lineup. Now, Bobby Portis gets his time to shine against Indiana.

The presumed favorite heading into preseason was Mirotic for one obvious reason: shooting. However, Mirotic has done anything but establish himself as the clear favorite for the position.

Mirotic has looked lost on the court through two preseason games. He’s looking a lot like the same player that struggled mightily at the beginning of last year.

Gibson started in the opener, and did Taj Gibson Things. He came in with his hard hat and lunch pale and outworked his opponents per usual. Yet, the one area of his game that puts Gibson at a disadvantage is shooting. The Bulls backcourt does not feature any potent 3-point shooters. Gibson lacks the threat from deep that the Bulls starting lineup so earnestly desires. Despite that, Gibson’s defense is a big plus over his competitors.

Tonight Bobby Portis gets to showcase why he should be the starting power forward.

His rebounding and ability to run the floor are two areas of his game that really shine. Not to mention, Portis has supposedly been working on stretching out his shooting range. Either way, he doesn’t present quite the same threat Mirotic does from deep.

The biggest area of concern with Portis starting is defense. He really struggled at that end of the floor in his rookie year, which isn’t a huge surprise. It takes some time for younger guys to get the hang of defense at the next level. The problem is, Portis was a disaster on defense in his rookie year sporting a defensive rating of 108.3, meaning Chicago gave up 108 points per one hundred possessions with Portis on the floor. Yikes.