Chicago Bulls Season In Review: Paul Zipser
Is it time to truly believe in the #ZipserHive?
It’s the offseason! Time to relax, watch some better teams keep playing basketball and take a sobering look back at how the 2016–2017 Bulls performed. Here at Bulls Confidential, we’ll be evaluating each player’s season one-by-one throughout the month of May. Follow us on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss any!
Paul Zipser:
2016–2017 Salary: $ 750,000 | Age: 23 | Season Stats: 5.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Season Recap:
You could make an argument that Paul Zipser has the largest cult-like following compared to any other players on the Bulls. The #ZipserHive hype had it’s peaks and valleys, but overall, the German forward showed signs of improvement. Even if he was inconsistent, his progression was evident enough to impress management throughout the season. The injury bug bit him a couple of times, but he was able to gain valuable playoff minutes, and was someone that head coach Fred Hoiberg grew to trust. The consistent playing time that Zipser earned throughout the last months of the season were foreign to the rest of the young Bulls. Fellow 2016 draft pick Denzel Valentine was unable to find a spot in the rotation, but Zipser’s length, shooting and defense were enough.
Even though his numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, and some of the advanced statistics are disappointing — Zipser, with his 6–8, 215 pound frame, has a nice NBA body. So there is some reason to be optimistic moving forward. Compared to other rookies via NBA Stats, Zipser ranked 24th in point per game, 26th in player efficiency, and 15th in rebounds per game. The fact that Zipser jumped Doug McDermott and Denzel Valentine at one point says a lot about the Bulls inability to draft. However, he was able to put together a couple of decent stretches this season that certainly verified the jump in the rotation.
Season Highlight:
January and March proved to be Zipser’s best months. He was able to start nine games in March — he averaged 6.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and played 23 minutes a night throughout the month. For a young player trying to make his way in the NBA, Zipser was able to make some sort of impact. Not every rookie can say that they were able to start some games for a playoff team, even if it was for the Bulls.
One individual performance stood out above all the others this season, Zipser had the best game of his young career on April 12 against the Brooklyn Nets, where the Bulls were able to dismantle the Nets by 39 points. He scored 21 points, secured six rebounds, and shot 61% from the field throughout the night.
Season Lowlight:
Just like most rookies, the first couple of months of the NBA season can be brutal. For a second round pick, it’s usually worse. This wasn’t any different for Zipser, and throughout the first three months of the season, he played a total of 49 minutes. The rookie didn’t actually score his first field goal of the season until December.
Looking Forward:
The physical tools that Zipser has to offer are encouraging, even if it takes a while to get fully comfortable with the NBA. He is not an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2020. That means that he can continue to grow, and hopefully get to where he wants to be. As management mentioned during their end of the season press conference — Chicago needs shooting. That is a skill in which Zipser can continue to improve and help the Bulls. He can run the floor reasonably well, and his athletic ability will continue to get better as he adjusts to balling away from home.
I like Zipser. I hope the #ZipserHive lives on. Make Dirk proud, Paul.
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