Chicago Bulls: Ranking every 1st round pick from 2010s

3. Forward Bobby Portis, Arkansas (2015)

One of my favorite first-round picks the Bulls have ever had is Bobby Portis, the big man out of Arkansas back in 2015. Many will remember him mostly for his sucker punch to the jaw of Nikola Mirotic, which I happen to think is pretty awesome in fact. But, Portis was a baller.

He was the closest thing the Bulls had to Taj Gibson in his prime. The Bulls needed a strong forward presence off the bench after Gibson left the team, and Portis stepped up almost immediately. The guy was all effort.

Of course, during the 2018-2019 season, the Bulls dealt Portis to the Washington Wizards as part of the trade for Otto Porter.

While he was with the Bulls, though, Portis seemed to improve each year. His last season in Chicago saw him average 21.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes. Before he was traded to the Wizards, Portis was even shooting the three ball at over a 37 percent clip that year.

It was really a shame to see him leave, because since his departure, no one has come even close to playing with the same level of passion. Now with the New York Knicks, Portis’ minutes and overall production have dipped significantly.