Chicago Bulls Power Rankings: Rating Every Player Near Season's Halfway Point
The Chicago Bulls have played championship-caliber basketball during the first half of the season. That's what happens when you have a roster stuffed full of talented players.
Derrick Rose—who played just 10 games the previous two seasons due to injury—and fourth-year guard Jimmy Butler form one of the league's top backcourts.
And possessing a big man trio of Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and super-sub Taj Gibson makes this Chicago team a force to be reckoned with.
Scoring wasn't in the Bulls' vocabulary the past two campaigns, as they were known mostly for their defense. But they're a more balanced club nowadays, thanks to Butler's emergence and the addition of Gasol.
It's time to rank all fourteen players on Chicago's roster. And yes, the Cameron Bairstow-Nazr Mohammed duo will be included as well.
All stats are from Basketball-Reference.com. and accurate as of January 9, 2014.
Bench Players (14-11)
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14. Cameron Bairstow
Cameron Bairstow hasn't seen the floor much, playing eight games and a grand total of 44 minutes.
The rookie out of New Mexico is getting the Brian Scalabrine-Erik Murphy treatment. In other words, this will be a long season for him, as he's stuck on the end of the bench.
13. Nazr Mohammed
Like Bairstow, Nazr Mohammed has played just eight games this seasons. A 20-minute-a-night guy years ago, he's buried on the bench these days.
Mohammed is putting up 1.4 points and 1.5 boards in nearly six minutes.
12. Tony Snell
If you're a big Tony Snell fan, you have to be disappointed. Many thought Snell was primed for a breakout year following an inconsistent rookie season.
But playing roughly nine minutes a night and averaging almost two points is not what you call a breakout year.
11. E’Twaun Moore
E'Twaun Moore has appeared in just 20 games so far during his debut season with the Bulls. His playing time did, however, increase dramatically when Kirk Hinrich was injured recently.
Moore recorded eight points and three rebounds during the January 3 contest against the Boston Celtics.
10. Doug McDermott
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This wasn't the type of rookie year Doug McDermott was looking for.
The former Creighton star has missed the past 19 games with a knee injury, but when he has been on the court, he didn't look too magnificent, shooting a miserable 23.1 percent from three-point land.
Chicago traded up for McDermott on draft night, hoping he'd help upgrade the team's outside shooting. That obviously hasn't been the case.
Some fans already think he's a bust and that the Bulls made a mistake by acquiring him. However, it's way too early for that kind of talk; it isn't wise to place the "bust" label on someone who has only played 17 games.
Just wait, he'll come around once he returns from the injured list.
9. Kirk Hinrich
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Kirk Hinrich isn't the Bulls' franchise player and doesn't wow anybody with his stats. Yet, he's a solid contributor on the court and a positive presence in the locker room.
He can replace Rose or Butler in the starting lineup when the team needs him to and plays decently, rather than amazingly, on both ends of the court.
In 14 starts this season, Hinrich has put up 9.3 points and 3.6 assists. The 12-year veteran owns averages of 7.5 points and 2.9 assists per game overall.
He's a tough-minded, consummate pro who gives the team everything he has on a nightly basis.
8. Aaron Brooks
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There's just something special about coach Tom Thibodeau. Scoring backup point guards flourish in his offense each and every year.
We've seen guys such as Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin get the job done previously. Aaron Brooks is the latest case. He's averaging 10.8 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 44.4 percent overall and a career-high 41.6 percent from long range.
Per ESPN Chicago's Jon Greenberg, Thibodeau sounds like he approves of Brooks:
"He’s got a lot of toughness; he’s real smart, Thibodeau said then. His speed is something that’s hard to deal with. He creates scoring opportunities, he’s great in the pick-and-roll. He knows how to find people, and he has all the tricks.
For a guy that’s small, he can finish around the basket. He knows how to use the board, he knows how to extend, get the ball away from the body against shot-blockers. He’s not afraid to get in there. He’s tough. He’s a hard guy defensively; he’s going to battle. He’s a hard guy to post up.
He’s just tough, tough. The guy’s a winner.
"
He has provided scoring punch off the bench, which is exactly why the Bulls acquired him.
7. Nikola Mirotic
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We go from a rookie who hasn't impressed to one who has.
Back in the day, the Bulls made an excellent draft-and-stash move by netting Toni Kukoc. Now, it looks like they did it again by picking up Nikola Mirotic.
Mirotic is contributing 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. He's also shooting 42.6 percent overall (36.5 percent from three-point territory).
The 6'10" forward looked incredible during the Bulls' December 19 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 27 points, pulled down 11 boards and shot a ridiculous 6-of-6 from downtown.
Although the Minnesota Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins will likely win Rookie of the Year, Mirotic might just finish at No. 2.
6. Mike Dunleavy
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Mirotic could become the starting small forward at some point. Until then, that spot belongs to Mike Dunleavy, who's in his second season in the Windy City.
A right ankle injury has forced Dunleavy to miss the last three games. Hopefully he'll return to the lineup soon, as the Bulls need his outside shooting.
He leads the team in three-pointers made (60) and three-point percentage (41.7). Gasol's 50 percent doesn't count, since he has only attempted eight shots from long range.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley wrote about Dunleavy's shooting:
"Dunleavy's three-point cannon is an invaluable weapon for this offense. The mere threat of his shooting is enough to create wider driving lanes for Butler and Derrick Rose and more space on the block for Pau Gasol."
He also provides scoring and solid defense to the lineup, making him a quality role player for Chicago.
5. Taj Gibson
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As usual, Gibson is having a productive campaign for Chicago. The sixth-year forward is averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting a career-best 52.5 percent from the field.
Gibson has missed nine games due to injury. Thankfully, he's healthy now.
Whether he's replacing someone in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, Gibson is certainly one of the team's most important players. He hustles on every play, rebounds, block shots and can hit the mid-range baseline jumper.
The Bulls have a realistic chance at a winning a title this year. In order to do that, though, they'll need Gibson contributing on both ends of the floor.
4. Joakim Noah
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A season ago, Joakim Noah produced 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game, finishing as an MVP candidate. This season, he's averaging just 8.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
There are several reasons for the lower numbers. Gasol is on the team now, Rose is back and Butler has stepped up his game big time. Since this year's team is way more talented than the previous one, there's no need for Noah to put up MVP-type stats.
Plus, offseason surgery and a reduction in minutes plays a role as well.
While Noah's stats aren't as phenomenal as they were last season, he's still No. 4 on this list. He's just too good to be any lower.
3. Derrick Rose
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Derrick Rose's comeback last season turned out to be a major disappointment. He played only a few games before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury.
Fortunately, this time around has gone much smoother. Although he isn't scoring 25 a night like he did in 2010-11, he's averaging a very respectable 16.8 points per game.
During the December 12 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Rose looked like his old self by pouring in 31 points. And his 29 in the victory over the Toronto Raptors (December 22) was pretty remarkable as well.
Sadly, Rose's shooting hasn't been great (39.7 percent overall and 26.2 from beyond the arc), but oh well—nobody's perfect.
Even if you aren't a Bulls fanatic, seeing Rose back on the hardwood has to make you happy.
2. Pau Gasol
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Pau Gasol is having a monster year, contributing 18.1 points, 11.1 boards (fifth in the league), 2.7 assists and 2.3 blocks (fourth in the league).
He's one of the main reasons for the Bulls' success, serving as a scorer, rebounder, passer and rim protector. The two-time NBA champ does it all.
Gasol has put together several outstanding performances this year. His nine blocks against the Denver Nuggets (January 1) definitely stands out. His 29-point, 16-rebound and five-block effort versus the Celtics (January 3) wasn't too shabby, either.
It's safe to say that signing Gasol has proved to be a pretty brilliant move by the Bulls.
1. Jimmy Butler
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Following Jimmy Butler's red-hot start, some people believed he'd eventually cool down. But no, he's still doing his thing, leading the Bulls in scoring with a career-high 21.7 points per game.
Butler has reached the 30-point mark five times, including 35 against the New York Knicks on December 18.
Unlike in the past, he's being extremely aggressive this season, averaging eight free-throw attempts a night (fourth-best in the league).
Already known as an elite defender, Butler has morphed into one of the game's top two-way players basically overnight.
It won't be surprising if he wins the Most Improved Player award. And don't be shocked if he finishes the year as a top-five MVP candidate, either.
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