Chicago Bulls: Ranking all five of their potential starters

2. Otto Porter Jr. (SF)

Frankly, the first three names on this list could’ve received the “if they stay healthy….” disclaimer, though Otto Porter Jr. is the most glaring example of the three.

Porter played only 14 games last year, but in that brief span, he showed some positive signs as a shooter (38.7 percent from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts per game), defender (0.2 Defensive BPM), and as a tertiary ball-handler (76th percentile in points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball-handler), so if he can extrapolate those numbers through a full season — assuming we get a full season without a stoppage — he would give the Bulls the sort of versatile swingman that most teams covet.

But, again, that’s all contingent on Porter remaining available for at least 70 percent of the season. If the Bulls didn’t have concerns about this, they probably wouldn’t have used this year’s fourth overall pick on Patrick Williams, who’s basically a cheaper version of Porter (though lineups featuring the both of them seem just as likely).

Porter gets plenty of flack for his large contract (which only matters because there’s a salary cap), but 3-and-D guys who can handle the rock a bit are hard to find/develop. If he avoids injury, Porter will have a chance to show why.