Chicago Bulls: 5 reasons for optimism despite poor record

3. Bulls have found their starting 3 in Porter

The Bulls’ lone offseason acquisition was Jabari Parker. This seemed like an odd fit with Markkanen and former Bull Bobby Portis entrenched at the 4 spot.

The hope was that Parker would somehow be able to slide over to the small forward slot, even though he had played at the power forward spot for his entire career.

While Parker did have some memorable moments during his time with the team, it became evident that the two sides were not a good match.

Taking that into consideration, the Bulls knew they were in need of starting small forward.

Enter Otto Porter Jr.

In a somewhat surprising move, the front office opted to send Parker, Portis and a protected 2023 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Porter and the move has certainly paid off so far.

In eight appearances for Chicago, he is averaging 19.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. Not only has Porter proven to be a capable scorer, but he is doing so at an efficient rate.

He is shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from beyond the arc. Both marks are significantly higher compared to his first 41 games of the season with the Wizards.

At least for the time being, the Bulls have finally landed a small forward who can get the job done and both ends of the floor while creating easier scoring opportunities for his teammates, something that the front office and the fans should be excited about looking ahead.