Forward Taj Gibson has really been a solid player and he has a nice upside. Gibson played in 56 games (44 starts) for the Bulls so far this season and he is averaging 25.1 minutes, 8.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Gibson is a solid basketball player and he was a good choice by the Bulls last June. Fellow forward James Johnson has not played as much as Gibson has this season. Johnson has played in 44 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 9.3 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Gibson & Johnson should have big roles in the future of the Bulls which looks bright.

Taj Gibson and James Johnson look like keepers for the Bulls. Taj Gibson makes the most of his time on the court. He has played in 33 games (21 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 24.5 minutes, 8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. I really like his game around the basket as he looks like he’s going to be a outstanding rebounder in this league. James Johnson has not been near as impressive as Gibson but I still see enough to make me think that he can produce for them down the road. He has played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 10.3 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Johnson’s main problem has been his shooting as he is only hitting 35.9% of his shots from the floor. Until his shot improves he will likely continue to get sporadic playing time.

Taj Gibson has been stepping it up for the Chicago Bulls, despite the team’s poor play as of late.  He has filled in very nicely in the absence of the injured Tyrus Thomas.  Gibson has a knowledge and experience greater than most rookies, as he stayed all four years in college at USC and really developed his game.  He has been able to step in and contribute right away.  See where Gibson ranks against the other rookies in my list of the Top Rookies in the NBA so far.

24-year old Taj Gibson and 22-year old James Johnson are making the Bulls smile so far this season. Gibson has played in 8 games (5 starts) for the Bulls so far this season and he is averaging 23.9 minutes, 8.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Gibson is also shooting well from the floor hitting 51.8% of his shots this season but he is having problems from the free throw line hitting 53.3%. Gibson will continue to start while Tyrus Thomas is out of action and the Bulls hope that he continues to play well. James Johnson has not gotten much of a chance to this point in the season to show what he can do yet. Johnson has played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 6.0 minutes, 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds so far.

A 6′8″ 250 lb. Small Forward with handles, a quick first step, range to the 3 point line, quick feet to defend small guards, size to bang with the 4’s and 5’s, and explosiveness to jump over people at the rim. Sounds like an all-star description right? Sounds like a player your familiar with right? If you read the first line in this paragraph and you didn’t read the headline you would think I was talking about LeBron James right? Well had James Johnson been exposed to the AAU circuit before his Junior year in high school, and been hooked up with a powerful shoe company perhaps he would be spoken about in the same breath as LBJ.

James Johnson, however grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a basketball nowhere, and then blew up on the AAU scene going into his senior year. He was ranked in the top 50 and commited to Wake Forest. Despite playing with shoot first point guard Jeff Teague he finished 2nd in the ACC freshman of the year voting. He was dominant at times at Wake despite not being featured enough. That may explain his drop to #16 in the NBA draft despite having a skill set only comparable to the elite small forwards in the NBA.

 His jump shot and handle needs refining but it is there. Look at James Johnson play and see who he reminds you of in the NBA. I think of Carmelo Anthony, LBJ, and a young Antoine Walker. While there were some good players in the ‘09 draft taken ahead of Johnson there were not 15 of them. Sure Blake Griffin will dominate. Guards like James Harden will be an automatic 20ppg scorer for years, Ricky Rubio will make highlight reels sick of him, and guys like Stephen Curry and Johnny Flynn will score in bunches, but with the exception of Griffin are any of them all-stars? All-stars are unique. They are matchup problems. They have size, strength and skill combinations no one else has, and James Johnson definitely fits that description, and the Bulls are very fortunate to have had him fall to #16.

 Playing with Derrick Rose won’t hurt either. The 6′4″ point guard prodigy needs athletes that can run with him, and he will set Johnson up for better shots than he ever has gotten before. Add that with his ability to get his own shot and the Bulls may have their dynamic duo for the next 12 years