Can Chicago Bulls bring out the best in Noah Vonleh?

Could a change of scenery help former top-10 pick Noah Vonleh achieve his potential with the Chicago Bulls?

Well, if you were looking for the Chicago Bulls to make a splash move involving Robin Lopez, Justin Holiday, Jerian Grant or all of the above, you unfortunately left NBA Trade Deadline Day disappointed.

Still, the Bulls did manage to get one under-the-radar move done, acquiring Noah Vonleh and some cash from the Portland Trail Blazers for the draft rights to some player you’ve never heard of.

Oh yeah…I guess they did trade Jameer Nelson to Detroit for Willie Reed, whom they promptly cut, and swap second-round picks. But that move doesn’t have any meaningful bearing on this team yet.

So anyway, back to Vonleh.

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Charlotte’s No. 9-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Vonleh hasn’t done a whole lot in his career thus far. For his career, Vonleh has averaged just 3.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. This season, he’s more or less on that track, posting 3.6 points and 5.1 rebounds (14.4 minutes per game) in 33 games this season, including 12 starts.

For the Blazers, this move was nothing more than a salary cap dump to get them under the luxury tax.

But could this deal end up as something more for the 22-year-old Vonleh and the Chicago Bulls?

First of all, what are the Bulls getting in the young power forward?

At 6’9”, ~250 pounds, Vonleh has the kind of size you like for a power forward, and his thick build certainly suggests that he has the potential to bang in the post as a defender and post scorer. His length also makes him a presence at the rim defensively as he posted 30 blocks last year.

Plus, he’s shown some proficiency rolling to the rim, has the athleticism to finish over people when attacking the rim and has the motor to pull down 10+ rebounds a game if he can ever command regular playing time.

And every once in a while, Vonleh even shows the skill to put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop.

The issue is that he needs to develop more of a repertoire offensively, honing his ability to score inside and stretch the defense more. That offensive rawness has been a big reason for his lack minutes and opportunity.

Could he earn more of an opportunity to fill out his potential with the Chicago Bulls? Maybe.

The Bulls already have two floor-stretching bigs in Bobby Porter and Lauri Markkanen, so Vonleh doesn’t need to fill that role. Robin Lopez could still find himself on the move after this season. Plus, with Nikola Mirotic gone, Vonleh could push Cristiano Felicio for rotation minutes.

As bad as Felicio has been, he might have a real chance there.

Also, let’s not forget that Fred Hoiberg has a penchant for helping people improve their outside games if they’re willing to seek out his advice. If Vonleh can expand his game and score more effectively, he could start jumping into the second unit soon.

Next: Three options for Bulls' newly acquired draft pick

Bottom line: Vonleh’s still too young to write off as a player just yet. At just 22 years old, there’s a ton of untapped potential within him.

No, he won’t vault them into a playoff team or anything like that (mercifully). But the makings of a good basketball player are absolutely within him.

And if the Chicago Bulls can develop the qualities that made Vonleh a top-10 pick, this could end up a more eventful trade than we expected.