Chicago Bulls: Evaluating lineup change experiment

Cristiano Felicio

The next guy on the list who was supposed to benefit from the lineup changes is Cristiano Felicio. The third-year center averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds during this second season in a Bulls uniform.

The Bulls were so convinced Felicio was ahead of the learning curve that they decided to sign him to a four-year deal at a $32 million price tag. Unfortunately, Felicio has not shown the same promise that he did during the 2016-17 campaign, which led to him sitting out 26 of the team’s first 58 games.

Did Felicio make the most of the opportunity when he was inserted into the starting lineup for five games?

Well, sort of.

From a positive perspective, he averaged 8.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest, which favorably compares to his production when he comes off the bench (3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing). On the flip side of the coin, though, Felicio’s plus/minus rating during the five-game stretch was never higher than a -11.

No, that is not a misprint.

Given the contract they signed him to, the Bulls are still hoping Felicio will find a way to play as well as he did at the end of each of the last two seasons. At this point, that is more wishful thinking than something that actually has a chance of happening.