Chicago Bulls: Why Bobby Portis Deserves More Playing Time

The Chicago Bulls have a blossoming young star in forward Bobby Portis, and he proved against the Oklahoma City Thunder why he deserves more playing time.

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about the talent in this year’s rookie class, but few have talked about Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis.

That’s because he’s only played in seven games for the Bulls so far this season because of the team’s established depth in the frontcourt, but the rookie has looked the part when he’s found time on the floor.

From setting screens to moving in the halfcourt without the ball to what he does when he has the ball in his hands, Portis is smart and makes the right play more often than not thanks to his varying skill set.

Standing at 6-foot-11, Portis has the size and length making him a factor on both ends of the floor. In the post Portis has a few moves down low that make him bothersome on the block but his strength is in stepping outside and knocking down a jumper from 15 feet and out.

Portis even has a three-point shot, connecting on 42.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc in his small sample size of play.

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That wasn’t a part of his game that was really on display in college, but most coaches these days such as Kentucky’s John Calipari believe in building a big man’s game from the inside out. It’s not that a jump shot is devalued in college but it’s important for a player with great size to understand how to get easy buckets in the post.

With that being said every player is different and some exist to stretch the defense and knock down outside shots. Portis has the strength and physicality to play inside with the big boys so it’s not like he had to develop his mental and physical aspects of being a post player like Karl-Anthony Towns.

Bigs who are able to play inside and out as well as rebound aren’t common. Most stretch forwards live on the perimeter and that’s it. They don’t have the bodies or aren’t conditioned to thrive down low and be a presence on both ends of the floor.

Portis is different because he knows how to use his length to alter shots on defense and finish inside on offense. He hasn’t been a shot blocker in the NBA yet, but that could change as he becomes more accustom to playing defense in the league.

I most enjoyed watching Portis on Christmas when the Bulls went up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC has a variety of great post players including the swat master Serge Ibaka and the offensive force who is Enes Kanter. Portis went up against the both of them and was effective.

He didn’t really make any mistakes against a proven title contender. He didn’t force shots, rebounded against proven post players and did the little things to help the offense flow like move the ball where it had to go and set a timely pick to get a man free from the defense.

It’s tough to explain if you don’t watch a ton of basketball, but some guys just pass the eye test so well that you know they’re going to make an impact regardless of what their numbers say about them now (7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game). Portis has that kind of potential and he’s getting more playing time because of it.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t shown negativity towards his young forward and has praised him for his efforts so far this season, particularly against the Thunder.

“He’s not afraid of the moment that’s for sure,” Hoiberg told CSN Chicago. “To be 20 years old and go out there, big minutes against Oklahoma City in a game on Christmas Day on ABC, it shows you what the kid’s makeup is all about. The kid’s got no concern, just thrives and has all kinds of confidence. You love to see that. He’s not gonna back down from anybody.”

Even though there are enough guys in front of him on the depth chart, Portis isn’t going anywhere. There have been enough rumors of late that Joakim Noah or Taj Gibson could be traded to make room for more Portis minutes, and I don’t have a problem with those offers being thrown around. Both Noah and Gibson have been important pieces in the Bulls’ prior success, but this is turning into a different team focused more on ball movement and three-point shooting under Hoiberg.

Noah and Gibson can’t shoot from three-point range. Gibson has a nice mid-range shot but both are more comfortable operating on the block as opposed to on the perimeter. Portis can produce from all areas of the floor making him the more valuable player in coming years.

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If he can turn into a rim protector and be a better factor on the defensive end, Portis has a future as a star in the NBA. Chicago fans: be excited for his future and what he’s going to bring to the Bulls organization in time.

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