Most important Chicago Bulls players to watch next season

4. Bobby Portis

Perhaps the most interesting player returning to the Chicago Bulls from last season is forward Bobby Portis. Portis flashed some serious upside as an all-around player last season and could become an important piece of this Bulls’ rebuild.

Portis was drafted by the Bulls with the 22nd pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. As a big man who can run the floor and shoot a bit from the outside, Portis has always seemed like a strong fit for Fred Hoiberg‘s offensive system. When he has gotten an opportunity, Portis has proved to be an asset for the Bulls. Unfortunately, Chicago has never given him enough minutes to be a real impact player.

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Through two NBA seasons, Portis has scored 6.9 points and pulled in 5 rebounds per game. Those numbers may not seem like much, but Portis’ lack of playing time is seemingly the only thing holding him down. His per 36 minutes numbers are extremely encouraging: 15 points and 10.8 rebounds. Make no mistake about it, Portis has a lot of natural upside on the court. The Chicago Bulls just need to trust him to make an impact.

His length and athleticism on the inside is a real weapon. Portis does a nice job of boxing out defenders as a rebounder and has some ability as a shot blocker as well.

Offensively, his ability to run the court allows Portis to make a lot of plays in transition. With the Bulls likely looking to push the pace going forward, Portis could be a real weapon for the team.

Perhaps most importantly, he is a big man who can shoot from the outside. Portis hit 33% of his three-point attempts last season. If he can continue that solid percentage while taking on more minutes, his value to the Bulls will be massive.

The Bulls do not have enough players who can consistently hit shots from the outside. Portis is not an elite outside shooter, but he is undoubtedly one of the best on the team. Adding that in with the rest of his skillset makes Portis a huge impact player.

I am a big Bobby Portis fan and would love to see what he could do with more opportunity. Will the Chicago Bulls give him that chance to succeed? Only time will tell, but more minutes will be available this season than in recent years. If Hoiberg gives Portis a full-time starter role, I expect him to take a huge step forward in 2017/18.