Chicago Bulls: Players to Watch During 2015 Las Vegas Summer League
Chicago Bulls fans who are either frustrated by the lack of free agent moves, or simply hungry for more basketball should be counting down the days until July 11, 2015.
That’s the day the Bulls make their Las Vegas Summer League debut against the No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves, per NBA.com. Most of the basketball universe will be dying to see Towns in his first action against pros, but Bulls fans will be watching their own players.
Per Hoops Hype, there are only three players named to the Bulls’ summer league roster: rookie Bobby Portis, Doug McDermott and undrafted rookie free agent Rayvonte Rice. One of the first things we’ll want to see is how Portis fares against Towns and the rest of the ‘Wolves.
Quite naturally, with Portis being the only drafted rookie on the Bulls roster (No. 22 overall), most of the attention from ChiTown hoops fans will be directed at the 20-year-old from Little Rock, Arkansas. For those who are unaware of Portis’ game, here’s a quick overview:
Per DraftExpress, Portis measures 6’10.5″ in shoes (until there’s a barefoot league, that’s the only height measurement that matters) he weighed 246 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine and demonstrated a modest 31″ max-vertical leap.
While he’s not a player who will make his living player above the rim, he’s proved himself to be a more than capable scorer while playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2014-15 season.
Portis averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three-point range. It should be noted, Portis took only 30 threes last season, but he made 14 of them. If nothing else, that proves he can help space the floor a bit for Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol—should he find himself in the lineup with the Bulls’ 35-year-old big man.
Portis is also known for his activity. Just under four (3.7) of his 8.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore came on the offensive glass.
Bulls fans would have loved to have a player like that when Tristan Thompson was generating what felt like 1,000 second-chance opportunities for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Hopefully, Portis can get off to a strong start in Vegas and carry that momentum into the regular season. In the base-case scenario, Portis will play well enough to make either Taj Gibson or Joakim Noah expendable via trade.
Chicago currently has five players on its roster that play either the 4 or 5 positions.
If it helps add depth to the backcourt, someone from that group could and should be moved. For an even more in-depth look at Portis, take a look at these scouting breakdowns from DraftExpress:
The way Portis performs in Vegas might be the first indication as to whether he has what it takes to convince the Bulls to move on from one of their established and beloved frontcourt players.
As much as we’ll be watching Portis, McDermott’s play is perhaps the most important player development story that can come out of Vegas.
Nov 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) drives to the net as Philadelphia 76ers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) defends during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
McDermott cost the Bulls two first-round picks in 2014 (the 16th and the 19th). Next season must be a breakout campaign for the sharpshooter. In an injury-riddled rookie season, McDermott played in just 36 games.
He averaged just three points per game and shot 40 percent from the field, 32 percent from beyond the arc and played just 8.6 minutes per contest.
How much of McDermott’s disappointing rookie season can be blamed on the injury and Tom Thibodeau’s rigid rotation? We’ll find out soon enough. McDermott will need to be aggressive and comfortable in Vegas, and most importantly, he’s got to make his open looks.
As of now, it would seem that the Bulls might have one spot available for a standout performer from its summer league squad. There’s a good chance the team will use its mini mid-level exception to sign a backup point guard.
Per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Bulls are one of a group of teams that has shown interest in signing free agent point guard Jeremy Lin.
If the Bulls ink Lin or another veteran point guard to back up Rose, that would still only give them four guards on the roster including: Rose, Jimmy Butler, the signee and the ineradicable Kirk Hinrich. Bringing back E’Twaun Moore is a possibility, but there’s a chance a guy like Rice could find a spot if he shines during the summer.
Feb 22, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Rayvonte Rice (24) brings the ball up the court against the Michigan State Spartans at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
Rice is a local product from Champaign, Illinois and he spent his last two years in college at the University of Illinois. He’s a scoring guard who stands about 6’4″ in shoes (6’2.5″ without, per DraftExpress) and he has an impressive 6’7″ wingspan. As a senior for the Illinois Fighting Illini, Rice averaged 16.5 points and made 43.6 percent of his threes.
He’s a high-effort player with some serious bounce. He also pulled down 6.5 rebounds per game. Take a look at this highlight reel put together by x5FDP23x on YouTube:
The fact that coaching duties for the Bulls summer league team will be handled by new head coach Fred Hoiberg and not an assistant coach is great for guys like Rice. He has a chance to show the head coach what he can do firsthand. He has the legit scoring ability to be a pleasant surprise. Here’s to hoping Rice takes the opportunity by the horns.