Chicago Bulls: 3 players who could take home NBA hardware this season

Jabari Parker

Wait — what? Jabari Parker as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year? How could that possibly be? Aren’t they paying him like a bajillion dollars this season? Actually, it’s more like half a bajillion dollars, but that apparently doesn’t matter.

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After an embarrassing preseason-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in which the Bulls gave up 128 points, followed by a 34-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Fred Hoiberg decided to tweak the lineup.

In the fourth preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, Hoiberg decided to take Parker out of the starting lineup, bringing him off the bench instead. Although Parker was clearly displeased, the Bulls responded with a 104-89 victory.

The following game, although the Bulls lost by five to the Denver Nuggets, Parker was the leading scorer for the team, despite coming off the bench. While he may not like it, Parker could find himself as the team’s sixth man this season, especially if he plays particularly well in that role — but more importantly, if the team performs well with him in that role.

If so, that is one heck of a player the Bulls would be bringing off the bench. With his offensive skill set and versatility, he will certainly put up very good numbers. the other thing to keep in mind is that, although he came off the bench, he played 26 and 32 minutes respectively in those two games. In other words, he’s a starter in substitute’s clothing. In that regard, it’s hard to imagine a sixth man in the league putting up the kind of offensive numbers as Parker.