Chicago Bulls: 3 Players Who Will Be Critical in Their Playoff Run

The Chicago Bulls have found themselves with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference, despite playing without their former MVP and superstar Derrick Rose for the entire season.

There are five games left in the regular season, and the Bulls have locked themselves a playoff spot. They maintained one of the best defensive efficiencies in the league (per Hollinger's Team Stats), even though their team basically got overhauled in the offseason.

In order for the Bulls to make a successful playoff run and not falter early, they will need a few key players to step up. This slideshow will evaluate three players on the roster who must have excellent games in the playoffs in order for the Bulls to—hopefully—make a long playoff run.

Nate Robinson

You have to take all the good with the bad when Nate Robinson is on your team.

On one hand, Robinson can be very inefficient and shoot the Bulls right out of the game. On the other hand, he's still the most capable scorer on this Derrick Rose-less squad, and his rambunctious persona could single-handedly spark the entire team.

For the season, Robinson is the third-leading scorer behind Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng and is only averaging 12.9 points per game. However, he has averaged 18.3 points per game on 46-percent shooting from the field in the past nine games.

If Robinson can keep up this level of play, the scoring burden on Deng and Boozer will be relieved mightily.

When Robinson is in one of his hot shooting streaks, it ignites his defensive intensity and determination to attack the basket. There's no doubt that Robinson is one of the biggest x-factors on the team, and the Bulls could beat anyone when he gets going.

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is your typical athletic swingman and tough perimeter defender, but he does so much more than that for this club.

In the last nine games, Butler has averaged 15.6 points on 48.5-percent shooting in 43.4 minutes. The most glaring statistic is his minutes per game, which means that Coach Thibodeau has supreme confidence in him to contribute.

He's basically taken over the role of Luol Deng, who's been nursing himself on the sidelines. If Butler could provide the same level of energy and hustle in the playoffs, he would be crucial to the Bulls' success.

Butler and Robinson have both played all 77 of the Bulls games this season, which shows how durable they both are. If Butler could produce in every aspect of the game during his time on the floor, then why not let him play the entire 48 minutes in the playoffs as well?

Furthermore, Butler will probably be assigned to guard the opposing team's best wing players while Deng takes a breather. His relentless energy is already valued, but his defensive contributions will be vital in the Bulls' playoff matchups.

Carlos Boozer

Carlos Boozer has underperformed ever since he came to Chicago three years ago. He just hasn't been playing on the same level as he was with the Utah Jazz.

Boozer has put together strings of good games this season, but he has also had strings of bad games where it looked like he didn't even exist on the floor.

Fortunately, Boozer is the biggest advantage that the Bulls have against the likes of the Miami Heat and New York Knicks, who both have weak interior defense. Now, it's time for Boozer to step into the spotlight with Rose still uncertain of his comeback.

Not only is Boozer's play critical to the Bulls' playoff success, but he also has something to prove this year. In his last two postseason appearances with the Bulls, Boozer has averaged a measly 12.9 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game on 43-percent shooting from the field (per Basketball Reference).

He needs to have a monster postseason performance this year, or else the Bulls' postseason won't be the only thing in jeopardy. The Bulls still haven't exercised their amnesty clause. If the team finds that the $16.8 million he's set to earn next year doesn't match up to his production on the court, they may use their amnesty on him and chase after a better player on the market.