Chicago Bulls: Why unleashing Jabari Parker is the best move right now

If the Chicago Bulls want to be trade deadline winners, head coach Jim Boylen might want to unleash Jabari Parker immediately.

The Chicago Bulls have a logjam at the power forward position, and it’s worse than one would think at first.

There are four guys on this roster that are borderline starting-caliber and truthfully should be playing the power forward position.

Four.

That’s actually kind of unreal, because since the dawn of the position-less 3-ball era, the power forward has been the sacrificial lamb.

Think of how scant few elite power forwards there are in the NBA: LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Tobias Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Blake Griffin.

Now, how many of those guys are traditional power forwards? Maybe just Aldridge and Griffin?

And yet, look at what the Bulls possess:

–Wendell Carter Jr. may have exclusively played the center position in this, his rookie season, but Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski saw him for who he was: a 6’10” power forward. And yet, he has done well as a center in the NBA so far.

–Bobby Portis is a power forward through and through, but for the sake of this dogfight, it is clear that he is best suited as a spark off the bench who can rebound and score in bunches, similar to what Taj Gibson brought to the table during the early Derrick Rose era.

So it comes down to Lauri Markkanen and Jabari Parker.

Markkanen having way more upside than Parker has been a well established idea, but the truth is, outside of injuries, these two players aren’t too different. Granted, Markkanen’s 3-ball threat allows for great floor-spacing, but in the end both Parker and Markkanen mostly offer points in bunches and they both rebound the ball very nicely — and that’s about it.

Look at what the top power forwards in the league possess: either the ability to play in the post and slow down the half-court set, or the ability to block the ball menacingly.

Neither Markkanen or Parker has been well suited for that, but if the Bulls look to move forward into the 3-ball era, Markkanen is clearly the more ideal fit, averaging 2.2 3-pointers per game in his career.

In the end, Parker must be dealt, but the the only way that will happen is if he is showcased.

This isn’t a time to be hard-nosed, on the brink of a viable rebuild with all the pieces in place. A package including Jabari Parker can translate into a lottery pick or even a young, defensive-minded small forward (like Otto Porter Jr.) — exactly what the Bulls need to move forward.

In the past two contests against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers, Parker has collected 29 points and 10 boards in 36 minutes total. With more minutes, those stats imply outputs that potential trade partners might be interested in.

Rarely is it a good idea to pull a page from the New York Knicks’ playbook, but over in the Big Apple, head coach David Fizdale has successfully built value in players with far less talent than Parker, such as Noah Vonleh and Emmanuel Mudiay, all just by unleashing them for extended minutes.

It might hurt to see Markkanen in the doghouse for a stretch, but in the end, it will help the organization move forward.