Several Chicago Bulls players have failed to live up to expectations this year, but reserve forward Cristiano Felicio is not one of them.
The Chicago Bulls defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116 Monday night to earn their 41st victory of the season. On a positive note, they will finish the 2015-16 campaign with no worse than a .500 record.
The bad news is they failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Although the season has been a major disappointment for many reasons, one of the few bright spots has been the recent emergence of Cristiano Felicio.
If you’re not that familiar with the name, I can’t blame you. After all, Felicio played a combined total of three minutes in two brief appearances during the first two months of the season, and was assigned to the Canton Charge of the D-League back on Dec. 31.
During a four-game stint in the D-League, Felicio averaged a respectable 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. The Bulls recalled the rookie forward a few weeks later, but with a crowded frontcourt, the odds of him receiving significant playing time were very slim to say the least.
Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Chicago Bulls
However, as injuries began factoring into the equation — starting with Joakim Noah being lost for the season after re-injuring his shoulder — Felicio would eventually start seeing more playing time and as a result, his production has increased.
During March, Felicio averaged 3.1 points in 11.2 minutes per contest. And in the six games he has played this month, he is averaging 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18 minutes per game, which represents his highest output of any month this season. It is also worth noting that Felicio is shooting a ridiculous 69 percent from the field.
While Felicio scored just 17 points through the first four games in April, he has played extremely well for the Bulls in the last two outings. In Chicago’s 105-102 home win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 9, he scored 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor and grabbed five rebounds.
Felicio would follow that up with an equally impressive performance against the Pelicans, scoring 16 points to go along with six rebounds on 6-for-8 shooting from the field.
Aside from the recent spike in production, what is impressive about Felicio is that he consistently plays with an edge, an element that has been lacking with the Bulls too often this season. Furthermore he sets solid screens, moves without the ball, finishes well around the rim and shoots the mid-range jumper with a great deal of confidence.
Remember when I mentioned how well Felicio moves without the ball? In the video below, the Bulls’ big man catches a nifty bounce pass from Aaron Brooks and finishes with a thunderous dunk while taking a shot across the face nonetheless.
"“I just try to bring the energy, a defensive mindset,” Felicio said, via Chicago.CBSChicago.com. “That’s what gets me going.”“I’d been trying for a few years now” to reach the NBA, Felicio said, adding he didn’t ever receive serious interest from other NBA teams. “I’m glad I had the chance.”"
In a season that has been filled with missteps, the Bulls front office deserves credit for bringing Felicio into the fold. Sure, his 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game don’t jump off the stat sheet, but when you look at those numbers on a per-36 minutes scale, they improve to 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.
More hoops habit: The NBA's 50 Greatest Players of All-Time
That being said, Felicio is making a strong case to be considered as an integral part of the rotation going forward. If only the Bulls had collectively played with the same kind of intensity that Felicio brings to the table, perhaps they would be participating in the playoffs rather than looking ahead to next season.