Chicago Bulls Season in Review: Robin Lopez
Robin Lopez:
Season Recap:
Robin Lopez joined the Bulls in the offseason alongside Jerian Grant as part of the trade that sent Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks. The big man came to Chicago with a reputation as a good rim protector who could score efficiently down low on a very team-friendly contract.
His presence down low helped the Bulls defensively, as well as on the offensive glass. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds a game, while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, his worst season since becoming a starter in New Orleans back in 2012–2013. His lack of athleticism showed at times as well, and may be cause for concern looking forward.
Season Highlight:
Lopez’s best game this year was in a loss to the Wizards back in March. The team was playing without Dwyane Wade and got off to a horrible start, but a great night from the big man helped them make a comeback that ultimately fell just short. He scored 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting while adding 12 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive end.
It was a quintessential Lopez performance, as he did most of his damage close to the basket, with six of his 12 made field goals coming off of his own offensive rebounds.
Season Lowlight:
His lack of athleticism was highlighted at times throughout the season whenever he was matched up against an opposing center with the skills to play out on the perimeter, an archetype that’s becoming more and more common in the NBA. While I’m sure a December game against Brooklyn in which his twin brother exploited this early and often, connecting on 5 3-pointers in a game, wasn’t fun for Robin personally, the Celtics series stands out in this regard.
After the Bulls relied on strong rebounding among other things to jump out to a surprising 2–0 lead against the top seeded Celtics, Boston coach Brad Stevens made what turned out to be a series changing adjustment by replacing Amir Johnson in his starting lineup with Gerald Green. The move forced Lopez off of the floor, as he was unable to reliably defend out to the perimeter. After averaging just under 33 minutes a game in the Bulls two wins to open the series, he averaged 24 minutes over the four losses to end it. The loss of Rajon Rondo undoubtedly played a role in the team’s collapse, but not having Lopez, who had played very well on both ends of the floor in games one and two, for big chunks of those final four games quietly had a large impact as well.
Looking Ahead:
At this moment in time it’s hard to say whether or not Lopez will be with the Bulls going forward. Assuming the Bulls do hold on to Butler and the current core he will most likely be back. But if the team does decide to trade Butler away and start a rebuild, a reliable veteran on an affordable contract like him would be a prime candidate to be shipped to a contender either in the offseason or at the next trade deadline.
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