Which Chicago Bulls Player Has the Most Upside Right Now?: The Chicago Bulls built up their cupboard of talent over the summer, but the collection includes a lot of question marks. Between rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, sophomore Tony Snell, comeback attemptees Aaron Brooks and (of course) Derrick Rose, Chicago can’t be quite sure what they’re getting from their newer faces in 2014-15. But with all the potential this crew has, you can be certain that someone’s going to pan out. The greatest possible return on a Bulls investment has to be present, still, in the person of Derrick Rose. The 2011 NBA MVP may have been a rusty mess through the FIBA World Cup tournament, but he still showed fans he has the lift and speed to make him a league-dominating player again. Given how bad Rose has been—he averaged 4.8 points per game, 3.1 assists, shooting 5.3 percent from three and 25.4 percent overall with Team USA—and where we’ve seen him before, his upside has to be considered larger than that of any Bull. But Rose’s ascension will be a long, hard process, and there’s no guarantee he’ll return to the level of performance his salary dictates—the Bulls owe Rose a shade over $60 million between now and the summer of 2017. In Nikola Mirotic, however, Chicago may have a future star who just hasn’t been noticed yet. New Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt, familiar with Mirotic through his time coaching abroad, spoke to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune and called the young Montenegro native “an atypical rookie, no question. He has been in big games. He has a lot of experience.” Blatt goes on: Nikolas game will translate extremely well because he has inside-outside capability. He has the size to take advantage of mismatches if he does play as a (power forward). He has the speed to dribble around guys. Hes a legitimate rebounder and has physical size and presence. Hes a very, very tough kid. He was a (matchup nightmare) in Europe. That will be interesting to see, how (Tom Thibodeau) decides to play him. I cant speak to that piece. But physically and athletically and skills-wise, he can swing between positions and take advantage of mismatches. Another way of phrasing Blatt’s praise would be to say that Mirotic’s game is tailored for the league’s future. Big men who can’t shoot or move like wing players are increasingly less valuable in the NBA, and Mirotic can do both. He’s also got Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, two of basketball’s best frontcourt defenders, to do the dirty work for him while he finds his professional legs. But looking past McDermott would be a mistake. The Bulls other rookie was the fifth all-time leading scorer in NCAA history for a reason. Despite the nightly, full attention of opposing defenses as his legend grew, “McBuckets” scored with automatic ease throughout his college career. And, in some aspects, baskets could come even easier for him as a pro. Doug didnt get many open shots in college, Greg McDermott, Doug’s father and head coach at Creighton University, said at the McBuckets introductory press conference. More from him: He had to work for everything he got, and a lot of his three-point shots were, hed catch it and itd have to be gone because he didnt have much space. I think Derricks ability to create things off the dribble and create things for his teammates is going to allow Doug to get some open shots. And when he gets open shots, more often than not hes gonna knock them down. McDermott’s prodigious zen releasing the ball from the perimeter is unlike anything the Bulls have seen since Kyle Korver left town—or since Steve Kerr before him. Spacing is more important than ever in the NBA, and McDermott could become a star if he’s got the right squad. Between the three of them, Rose, McDermott or Mirotic (or all three) are sure to improve immensely between day one and the dawn of the playoffs. And while Rose is the safest bet to take games over for the Bulls, don’t be shocked to see one of their offensively bent youngsters also thrive. Theyre great prospects, on a team that knows how to develop them. But they arent Derrick Rose. Chicagos chosen basketball son was a generational talent not too long ago, so as long theres the chance for him to get from here to back there, his upside is likely higher than anyones in the league. Read more NBA news on BleacherReport #Basketball #NBA #NBACentral #ChicagoBulls #fantasybasketball
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:48:16 +0000
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