Chicago Bulls: 3 Players that disappointed this Season
Despite ending the season with a 22-60 (0.268) win-loss record down at the 13th position on the Eastern Conference standings, the Bulls showed tangible promise for the near future.
With the UCLA product, Zach LaVine (23.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.5 apg) coming into his own, along with Lauri Markkanen, who played 52 games averaging 18.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg - bringing a huge upside of being an effective floor-spacing big man - the team seems to be heading in the right path.
If the franchise can pull off the right moves in the upcoming offseason - add some much-needed depth and shooting - the Bulls might make a legit playoff push in the 2019-20 season without a doubt.
Just a couple of months into the season, Fred Hoiberg - who was hired back in 2015 - was relieved of his duties and Jim Boylen took over in an official capacity.
"To take over Midstream, the support I received was awesome. Obviously, we had some difficult moments and we also had some good moments."- Coach Boylen
Clearly, it was not all smooth sailing for the Bulls organization as well as players, but what they have now is a platform they can build upon. While some of the players showed signs of a bright 2019-20 campaign, others couldn't quite get it done.
Let's take a look at the three individual performances from Chicago's past season that tempered all expectations.
#1 Robin Lopez
Lopez was traded to the Bulls in June of 2016 in an exchange that involved Derrick Rose as well. The 30-year-old center played 74 games for Chicago this past season averaging over 22 minutes per game. He scored 9.5 points and recorded just 3.9 boards per game, in what was his lowest scoring season since 2012.
"I've always kind of embraced the role of being that stabilizing force, that backbone of a team. I've always enjoyed that role." - Robin Lopez
For a veteran center, Lopez couldn't make a noticeable impact in the paint as well as on the boards. His rebound total this year (286) was the lowest since his 2011-12 season with the Phoennix Suns where he pulled down just 209 boards in 64 games. Known primarily for his defense, Lopez averaged 1.1 blocks per game with just 11 steals in total throughout the season.
The 31-year-old seven-footer is slated to become an unrestricted free-agent for the upcoming offseason.