National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls Preseason Recap: Bench Boys

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

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There’s just one more day until the Chicago Bulls open the 2016-17 season. Here’s a look at your bench boys and how they got there.

Chicago has already solidified the starting five and cut their roster size down to 14 players. Somewhere between the two, there are the bench players that will serve a vital role to help steady the team when players like Dwyane Wade inevitably need rest and even full games off.

Michael Carter-Williams

It was kind of great that the Bulls acquired Carter-Williams. Great in the same way that the Milwaukee Bucks acquiring Tony Snell was great. Both players were likely done with their current teams after failing to lock down meaningful spots in their respective squads.

We don’t have much to go on from MCW is the preseason, he only played one game and it doesn’t say much at this point. Well, it does. Because MCW is still on the Bulls roster heading into the regular season and Spencer Dinwiddie got a DNP-CD right before being released and that quick turn of events was due almost entirely to two things: Dinwiddie’s partially guaranteed contract and the arrival of Carter-Williams.

Safe to assume that MCW will absorb the minutes and role that Dinwiddie held previously. They need a defender in the second unit and Jerian Grant didn’t do anything to lock up his spot. A second or third unit that features Carter-Williams at point for defense and distribution paired with Isaiah Canaan as shooting guard might be a reality we see during the season.

Bobby Portis

This one is going to be difficult to gauge. As a power forward, he averaged 2.3 assists per game during the preseason, playing in all seven games with the opportunity to get a start thrown in. That number could be huge; the Bulls have always liked big men who can pass the ball. He also put up 5.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 21.6 minutes. Those are solid numbers considering the competition at power forward heading into the season.

Still, he lost the battle for the starting spot and just what his role will be when coming off the bench is still undefined. The four is one spot in this lineup that could continue to be a question mark until the trade deadline. By that time, Taj Gibson, the current starter for Chicago, is likely to be traded, or so the rumor goes in the wild world of basketball internet. For now, Portis is fighting for backup minutes with the other player that lost out to Gibson.

Nikola Mirotic

Niko belongs at the four. He’s good for spacing, better at not being blown by on defense and generally more confident at that position. He can get defenders off their feet occasionally with his 3-point line pump fake or make a reluctant big pay for leaving him open. Usually, they are late closing out and he pump fakes with no one covering him and then dribbles into coverage. Or maybe I’m still thinking of his first season in the NBA.

He doesn’t deserve to start right now. He shot poorly from 3-point range, 24.1 percent, and made a lot of poor decisions. There is a reasonable explanation – he knew that Gibson was winning the starting spot. During the last couple of games, he seemed agitated, impatient and entirely too quick to jack up incredibly bad shots that never came close to connecting. He barely outperformed Portis from deep, but took 3.4 attempts per game more than Portis. Efficiency was not in the plan for Mirotic. He shot was off and now he’s probably in line for a role off the bench to the tune of 20 or so minutes a night.

Doug McDermott

What to say about Doug? He looked like he was in some of the best shape of his entire life in the preseason. Being physically healthy doesn’t necessarily add up to more minutes or a better performance on the court.

Dougie McBuckets got a lot of run in the preseason, averaging a team-high 27.6 minutes per game. He averaged 13 points per game, but only shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range. For a shooter that cost the Bulls multiple picks in 2014, there is a lot left to be desired. There is a possibility that McDermott has earned himself a role as a backup small forward, perhaps getting some minutes at the shooting guard position, but he isn’t starting this year.

Isaiah Canaan

Canaan is designated as a point guard, but he was much better when playing at the two, having another facilitator to feed him the ball. A lot of questionable shots when he was trying to create for himself. He brings effort, but not much else on the defensive end of the ball.

We already mentioned a scenario where the Bulls front office likes a bench unit of MCW and Canaan for defense and shooting. That seems like the most likely scenario that I can convince myself to buy in to. Even with that outlook, he was a worse shooter than McDermott at 37 percent and looks a bit like a volume scorer. That might work out if they crank up the tempo under Fred Hoiberg. I’d guess that the minutes for Canaan will be extremely limited in games that are important or close, unless Wade sits out.

Jerian Grant

The Bulls claim that they really like him. The official stance was that they were looking at drafting him in 2015. He has a guaranteed deal, so Dinwiddie was sacrificed. His 3-point shooting was over 41 percent, but that probably isn’t enough. He only got 14.2 minutes per game in the preseason and they seem to be focused on starting Rajon Rondo and giving primary backup minutes to Carter-Williams with some bizarre Denzel Valentine, Canaan and Grant combos.

Denzel Valentine

Speaking of Valentine, who knows what they plan to do. Camp reports were that he is going to get some time at point guard, he’s kind of a buried at either position and has major questions about his durability and defensive ability.

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This is one player that isn’t going to start, but due to an injury which kept him out of the final six games of the preseason we don’t know what he can offer. Clearly, they liked him because they elected to draft him with their first-round pick this summer, but now he’ll be working into his role during the season instead of before it starts. Maybe he turns it on and shows some of the Player of the Year quality from his time at Michigan State. Expectations are rightfully tempered, so anything more than 15 minutes a game should be a surprise.

Paul Zipser

Not a lot to say right now. He got into six of seven games this summer, put in 13.4 minutes and was mildly erratic. He would have a strong fourth quarter and then follow with a questionable performance in his next game. Being a young, European rookie it is understandable that he’s going to need time to assimilate to the play he will see in the league. Not sure if or where minutes in the rotation come from for Zipser.

Cristiano Felicio

It feels like Felicio is far and away the favorite Bulls player of the dark, shadowy world of hipster basketball. He’s going to have a big role to play, assuming Gibson gets to rest. If the starting frontcourt remains Gibson and Robin Lopez, there would have to be a limited amount of “small ball” lineup activity with Gibson at center. Whatever minutes that Gibson doesn’t snatch up will fall to Felicio.

Most memorable thing about Felicio’s preseason was the hard slams he was putting on his body, crashing through everything like the Hulk, except he wasn’t triggered by a rage. Felicio just loves to play basketball. He got 15.5 minutes per game and did all his offensive work inside the arc. He is going to get run this year, it’s just going to be a matter of how much time Gibson is going to take a center in addition to his starting role.

The offseason was busy and there was a lot of turnover across the roster. This group of bench players has a lot of potential, but will have limited minutes to work with. The picture is clear for some players, but others are still a mystery. Some highlights to watch for from the bench will be the role of Valentine as the season wears on. Did the Bulls get a steal at No. 14 or did they miss again with their draft, that’s what we’re going to find out.

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