Bobby Portis to Bulls: Twitter Reacts as PF Is Selected in 2015 NBA Draft
The Chicago Bulls frontcourt is loaded with talent in Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic, and the team added to its stockpile by selecting Arkansas' Bobby Portis at No. 22 overall Thursday night.
Portis slid further than prognosticators anticipated, and the Bulls pounced on the best available talent as the first round drew to a close, as NBC Sports' Dan Feldman explained:
According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, the Bulls didn't expect Portis to drop to them:
ESPN's Nick Friedell had more on what Bulls general manager Gar Forman sees in Portis:
Bulls legend Scottie Pippen praised Portis' selection and offered congratulations:
Known for his on-court intensity, Portis excelled during his sophomore season with the Razorbacks. In 36 games, the SEC Player of the Year averaged 17.5 points and ripped down 8.9 rebounds while blocking 1.4 shots a night.
At 6'10" with a 7'2" wingspan, Portis is the sort of energetic presence who can help Chicago dominate the boards even more. Last season, Chicago ranked No. 3 overall in total rebounding.
Portis—who hit 37.6 percent of his two-point jumpers last season—can score from a variety of areas, according to Synergy Sports:
After getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls are looking to reform their offense with a more modern, uptempo system that values versatility.
Under the tutelage of new head coach Fred Hoiberg, Chicago figures to embrace the tenets of a pace-and-space offense.
"We had the second-fastest pace of play in all of college basketball last year," Hoiberg said at his introductory press conference, according to ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell. "We like to get out and play with pace and play with spacing. I think we ran more pick and roll than anybody in college basketball. We really like to flow into an offense as opposed to coming down and getting set on every possession."
Last season, the Bulls ranked 11th in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but they played at the league's eighth-slowest pace (92.8 possessions per 48 minutes), according to Basketball-Reference.com.
With Portis in the fold and a new scheme ready to be unleashed, the Bulls should be able to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference once again.
