Chicago Bulls: Ranking the 5 projected starters for 2021-22

4. Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan has taken plenty of flak over the years for his penchant for scoring from the midrange.

Of course, we all know that those sorts of shots are still mostly seen as sub-optimal compared to the more valuable 3-pointer and attempts closer to the basket, but when you’re as efficient from that area of the floor as DeRozan was last year (47 percent, 84th percentile), taking a bunch of them isn’t so bad.

Plus, when you combine that midrange efficiency with plenty of trips to the free-throw line (14th in the league in free throw attempt rate) and improved playmaking (career-best 32.0 assist rate) and you have one of the best offensive players in the league (2.9 offensive EPM, 95th percentile).

With the four-time All-Star now in the fold, the Bulls now have someone who can effectively shoulder some of the offensive load whenever Zach LaVine needs some rest (91st percentile in points per shot, 88th percentile in points per possession, 84th percentile in pick-and-roll PPP). He’ll also have no problem making his teammates’ lives easier on that end (92nd percentile in Box Creation).

Despite all of that, DeRozan is placed here because of his horrid defense (minus-2.2 defensive EPM, sixth percentile). His inability to stay with his man (10th percentile in Defensive Miles per 75 possessions and Matchup Adjusted Defensive Feet per minutes played) makes him sharing the floor with LaVine and Nikola Vučević a shaky proposition.

But if DeRozan can do things like this on a consistent basis, the Bulls will live with some of the defensive deficiencies: