Grading The Chicago Bulls’ newest acquisitions

Chicago Bulls
Dem J Designs for Def Pen Sports

The Chicago Bulls were one of the most active teams hours before the trade deadline. President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas and General Manager Marc Eversley strategically remained silent and out of trade rumors all throughout the first half of the season. These unique tactics allowed the Bulls to attack the trade deadline ferociously without any complications. And all of a sudden, a strong message was sent to the league with their array of moves.

Their acquisitions put the Windy City on notice and let the NBA world know that they’re serious about competing for the playoffs this season and the foreseeable future. Karnisovas and Eversley finished their evaluation process and saw which players they wanted to move forward with–no more simply developing players, it was time for action.

Chicago required players such as Nikola Vucevic, Troy Brown Jr., Javonte Green, Daniel Theis and Al Farouq-Aminu.

With the Bulls in contention for the play-in tournament, vying for a legitimate playoff spot, the front office adamantly saw this as a chance to exponentially improve their roster and make it suitable enough for a playoff run with the highly coveted Billy Donovan at the helm.

Zach LaVine has been out for the past couple of weeks due to health and safety protocols, and during that time we’ve seen Chicago fall out of the play-in tournament. Fortunately, however, there’s still a slight chance to reconquer their former position.

We’ll now take a look at how these players have fared on their new team post-trade deadline.

Nikola Vucevic

Vooooooooooch!

Nikola Vucevic’s arrival has been nothing short of remarkable. He alone has provided the Bulls with elite post play, playmaking, a controlled tempo leading to fewer turnovers, efficient outside shooting, veteran leadership, and much-needed toughness.

Since arriving in Chicago he’s averaged 22.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 49% from the field and a stellar 42% from beyond the arc. His addition has finally given the Bulls another threat offensively with the ability to take over games, and a much-needed interior presence that Chicago has been bereft of since the days of Pau Gasol.

His most attractive quality since arriving in Chicago has been his controlled game which has had a residual effect that essentially has lessened the Bulls’ number of turnover per game–an area that they’ve struggled in mightily over the course of the season(15.4 per game).

Going forward, Vooch will be extremely pivotal in not only winning games but making Chicago a desirable destination for free agents. Prior to his arrival, outside of Zach LaVine, the Bulls did not have a solidified number two option. This often left LaVine with a taxing burden, and players throughout the league noticed the struggle.

Now, the All-star big adds another dimension to the Windy City. Nikola Vucevic’s multi-faceted game and brimming abilities have already alleviated an extraordinary amount of pressure off Zach. Conversely, when the two are on the court, Vucevic has a much easier job to the deadly scoring abilities of Zach LaVine. They’re going to be one of the league’s best duos for quite some time.

This trade was incredible because of the talented player they acquired, the message sent to their superstar LaVine about building a long-term future, and the front office’s desire to play winning basketball after a three-year rebuild.

Grade: A+

Daniel Theis

As Stacey King would say, “Theis is nice!”

After the Bulls acquired the offensive juggernaut named Vucevic, Karnisovas and Eversley turned their attention to finding some interior defense. They used a 3-team trade with Washington and Boston to acquire Daniel Theis.

For the past two seasons, Theis has served as a perennial shot blocker, paint deterrent and lockdown defender for the Boston Celtics. He’s that gritty, physical player that Chicago has been void of down low since 2014 Defensive Player of The Year Joakim Noah. He’s another player that gives the Bulls an edge with his experience from deep playoff runs with the C’s.

Although it may not show up on the stat sheet, Theis’ awareness on the defensive side of the ball should not go unnoticed. His contributions to movement on the ball, off the ball, on the weak side, and ability to direct the ball handler into traffic, is the sole reason that Chicago’s defense has drastically improved over the past couple of weeks.

In April they had crucial wins over Eastern Conference opponents in which they played lockdown defense. In a victory over Indiana, they held the Pacers to 97 points. They defeated the Celtics and limited them to 96 points, a win over the Hornets who accumulated 91 points and the Heat who had 101.

Notice a trend?

Without LaVine, their defense is what has been winning them games, and you can thank Theis for that.

In Chicago he’s averaged 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds on 56% shooting whether that be starting or off the bench, Theis will take whatever role necessary to win games; his demeanor serves as great leadership for the young players on the roster and a testament to moving forward.

This upcoming season he’ll be an unrestricted free agent and the front office should do whatever it takes to keep the 29-year-old German big on the roster.

Grade: A

Troy Brown Jr.

Troy Brown Jr. was a player that Washington pretty much gave up on once they selected Deni Avdija in the 2020 NBA Draft. After a phenomenal performance in last year’s bubble, in which he averaged 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists while serving as the Wizards lead ball-handler, Brown had his sights set on a greater role.

He’ll get just that in Chicago. The 21-year-old possesses impressive physical traits. He stands at 6’6″ with a freakishly long wingspan of 6’11”.

Billy Donavan has spoken to Brown about his role with the team and how he’ll earn minutes: Defense. It’s become incredibly noticeable how much Chicago misses Kris Dunn’s prowess on the defensive end, albeit, Patrick Williams is a solid perimeter defender, but at the end of the day he’s still just a rookie.

Troy Brown provides that Kris Dunn role for the Bulls with 3-point accuracy. He’ll be designated as the team’s “3 and D” player. In his short stint, he’s provided quality minutes in Chicago as a defender on the perimeter, spot-up shooter and playmaker.

The product out of Oregon has been sidelined the past two weeks with an ankle sprain and the Bulls desperately miss his infectious intensity on defense. At only 21 years of age, Brown Jr. should be in Chicago’s plans for a long time to come.

Grade: B+

Javonte Green

Along with Daniel Theis, Javonte Green came over from the Boston Celtics. His role with Chicago is more so for depth, particularly as a defender.

He’s a reliable player that can be called upon when injuries occur. He’s played very limited minutes in eight games with the Chicago Bulls. His grade given doesn’t reflect his actual skill as a player, but more so what he’s provided for the Bulls thus far.

Grade: D

Al Farouq-Aminu

Al Farouq-Aminu has registered only a few minutes for this squad this season. Therefore, he wasn’t given a grade.

Grade: N/A

Overall, the front office did an incredible job in bringing in high-quality players. Their success in this season’s trade deadline will go a long way in setting this team up for success while creating a winning culture once again in Chicago.

Related Topics

You May Also Like