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Chicago Bulls: 5 Midseason Takeaways From 2016-17

By James D. Tillman III

Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard/forward Jimmy Butler (21) celebrates with teammates during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard/forward Jimmy Butler (21) celebrates with teammates during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 16, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) is fouled by Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) during the second half at the United Center. Milwaukee won 95-69. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) is fouled by Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) during the second half at the United Center. Milwaukee won 95-69. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Zipser Sighting

The Bulls selected German small forward Paul Zipser with the 48th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. In 25 German League appearances last season, the 22-year-old posted averages of 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

But aside from a 26-minute outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the preseason, Zipser had seen very little court time this season. In fact, through the first two months of the season, the rookie averaged just six minutes per outing.

However, with Jimmy Butler out of the lineup for two games with an illness, and McDermott not being able to find his shooting touch, Fred Hoiberg opted to give the seldom-used Zipser a more prominent role as of late.

This includes two starts against the New York Knicks and Grizzlies. In those contests, Zipser scored seven and five points, respectively and is averaging 19.3 minutes per game during the month of January.

Taking this recent turn of events into consideration, it will be interesting to see if Zipser will remain in the rotation during the second half of the season.

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