Chicago Bulls: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season
3. A full season of Otto Porter Jr.
Sure, Otto Porter Jr. has a cool name, a striking resemblance to Lionel Richie and he happens to be the highest-paid Chicago Bull on the roster. Besides that, he might just be their most important player.
After coming over in a trade with the Washington Wizards in February, Porter played his best basketball with the Bulls, who not coincidentally, played their best ball with Porter in their lineup.
In what seemed like a rebirth of sorts, Porter appeared in 15 games with the Bulls in 2018-19, averaging 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting a blistering 48.8 percent from 3-point range.
He also scored a career-high 37 points in just his fourth game with Chicago, a 122-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Otto Porter Jr. puts up a career-high 37 points and the Bulls get the W
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) February 14, 2019
Postgame Live with @MarkSchanowski & @KendallG13 starts NOW on NBC Sports Chicago and streaming here: https://t.co/ALsDCdzsL3 pic.twitter.com/lq8EjJaJ6D
We can’t expect Porter to shoot at the same rate he did when he joined the club, but let’s remember, the Bulls started 6-2 in Porter’s first eight games and with him, they seemed like a completely different team. It’s incredible what a cohesive unit can do for a team.