Chicago Bulls: Player grades for the halfway mark of 2020-21

There are some players on the bench that the Chicago Bulls need more from.

Denzel Valentine — C+

Valentine, the former lottery pick out of Michigan State, is averaging 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game this season off the bench for the Bulls. Valentine’s performance is inconsistent, putting up a few high-scoring games, but then not learning when to stop and facilitate.

If you look at the last 14 games of Valentine’s game logs, you would first see he had a seven-game streak with double-digit scoring, adding a 20-point game against the Orlando Magic to that streak. After that, however, you would see that he scored 24 points in his next six games total.

Valentine has his moments off the bench but he is horribly inefficient, shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from behind the arc. No need to talk of his defense either, because he is not doing well in that area. He gets an above-average rating for his low expectations coming into this season after having just played in the G-league.

Daniel Gafford — C

Gafford has only played 11 games this season but there was a time when he had to fill in for Wendell Carter Jr. when he was injured. He played 10 games averaging four points per game in his place. He played how Bulls fans thought he would play which is just average. He got exposed with more minutes and could hardly handle guys in the paint.

Otto Porter Jr. — D

At this point, Bulls fans are done with Porter. He contributes well enough on offense to be an average bench player, scoring 11.6 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from distance. With that said, Porter has the athleticism of a 40-year old player and his contract is weighing down Bulls’ fans.

Porter’s time is running short with the Bulls whether it be by the trade deadline or just letting him go when his contract runs out after this season. His offense is definitely helpful to spread the floor when he’s healthy but his defense is perilous to the Bulls’ team. This grade is more of a knock on GarPax than it is Porter.

Ryan Arciadiacono — Extra credit

The “man bun” is a reminder of the heart and soul this Bulls’ team can bring. Arch does not back down to his opponents and is a guy that will take advantage of his minutes. He does need to stop playing at the root of fouling three-point shooters but he is great overall for team chemistry.