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

Derrick Rose has been everything the Bulls thought he would be…..and much more. He has played in 15 games for the Bulls this season and he is averaging 37.7 minutes, 19.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Look for Rose to only get better as he gets experience as he will likely develop into the go-to man for the Bulls.

The Bulls were happy with the big guys that they selected in the NBA Draft last year but they still expect more from them. Joakim Noah moved into the starting lineup at center after the big trade with the Cavaliers and he did a solid job. His energy and effort infected a team that often played like they were in a trance the first half of the season. Noah played in 74 games (31 starts) for the Bulls this season and he averaged 20.7 minutes, 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Noah shot 48.2% from the floor but he will need to improve his free throw shooting as he only hit 69.1% from the charity stripe. Noah was a good choice for the Bulls and he will help them for a long time.

Center Aaron Gray was Noah’s backup after he moved into the starting lineup. Gray played in 61 games (1 start) for the Bulls this season and he averaged 10.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He shot 50.5% from the floor but that’s likely because most of his shots came from close range. He will need to improve on his 56.6% free throw shooting if he wants to earn more minutes.

Demetris Nichols was added during the season after the Cavs cut him loose. He played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he averaged 2.7 minutes, 1.2 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Nichols played in 14 games (0 starts) overall last season and he averaged 3.1 minutes, 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Nichols is known as a offensive player but he only shot 26.1% from the floor as a rookie. He will need to improve on that if he wants to keep playing basketball in the states.

Rookie guard JamesOn Curry did not play this season due to injury but the Bulls like him.

After the big trade with the Cavaliers the Bulls have decided to let Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray start to get increased minutes. Noah is a ball of energy as he is always hustling on the basketball court. He has played in 50 games (8 starts) this season for the Bulls and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 5.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Noah has shot 45.7% from the floor but only 63.2% from the free throw line this season. Noah will need to improve on his free throw shooting if he wants to continue to start. Center Aaron Gray has played in 40 games (0 starts) so far this season for the Bulls. He’s a soft 7-footer but he has some offensive game. He is averaging 9.6 minutes, 4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Gray has shot 49.3% from the floor this season but only 54.2% from the free throw line. Demetris Nichols has played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Bulls this season and he’s yet to score but has 2 rebounds. JamesOn Curry has not played yet this season for the Bulls.

The Bulls haven’t gotten the production from their rookies like they thought they would and they need that to change soon. Forward/Center Joakim Noah was the first round pick of the Bulls and he hasn’t gotten much playing time yet to show what he can or can’t do. Noah has played in 21 games so far this season for the Bulls and he is averaging 12.4 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Noah is only shooting 41.1% from the floor but he has made 76.9% of his shots from the free throw line. The Bulls won’t likely extend Noah’s playing time until he improves his play on the floor.

Center Aaron Gray has played decent in his limited minutes on the basketball court. Gray has played in 15 games so far this season and he is averaging 10.6 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He is shooting 45.3% from the floor but only 40% from the free throw line. He could see more minutes in the near future.

Guard JamesOn Curry and forward Demetrius Nichols have not played yet for the Bulls but they both have talent.

The grade could have been higher if the Bulls would have let their rookies play more, but no one can argue with the results the Bulls had by playing their veteran players over the rookies. Tyrus Thomas has big-time athletic ability, now he just needs his game to catch up. He played in 72 games last season and he averaged 13.4 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. It’s possible that if his game matures that he could be the starting power forward for the Bulls next season. Thabo Sefolosha (G/F) played in 71 games this season and he averaged 3.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Sefolosha will likely be a key reserve for the Bulls next season.

With Ben Wallace a little bit nicked up the last two weeks the Bulls needed someone to step up and Tyrus Thomas has. He has played in 5 games the last two weeks and he’s averaged 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He also is shooting an amazing 61% from the floor in those 5 games. The Bulls have been waiting for Thomas to mature as a player to take advantage of his outstanding athletic ability and it seems like he’s finally starting to get it.

The Bulls rookies have not gotten much court time because of all the veteran forwards on their roster. But when the kids have played they have done well. Power Forward Tyrus Thomas is a player. He has played in 40 games and has averaged 10.4 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists. Thomas would start on a lot of teams and the Bulls depth will really help them late in the season and in the playoffs.

Small Forward Thabo Sefolosha is also a very active player that deserves more playing time, but he’s also blocked by vets. He has played in 42 games and is averaging 12.4 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists.

These guys have a bright future for the Bulls.