Not only does Bulls big man Bobby Portis know his role, but he’s embracing it

SHARE Not only does Bulls big man Bobby Portis know his role, but he’s embracing it
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Power forward Bobby Portis is in a much better place these days.

There’s still some uncertainty surrounding his contract, and he’s still being asked about “The Punch’’ from a year ago, but he finally knows what his role is.

And he couldn’t be more excited.

“It feels good,’’ said Portis, who entered training camp as one of the first players off the bench. “It kind of made my summer easier. I knew I wasn’t fighting for a starting spot. I knew I wasn’t fighting for minutes. I just worked on my game the most I could and worked on that role. I know you’ve all seen a lot of the sixth-man role. I like the role. I get to come off the bench and score a lot. Who doesn’t like to score? That’s a fun gig. Coach [Fred Hoiberg] has trust in me to shoot the shots I want to shoot. It’s a fun gig to have.’’

And it’s a drama-free gig.

Last preseason, Portis punched Nikola Mirotic in the face in a practice altercation, sending Mirotic to a hospital with a broken jaw and concussion symptoms. And in the end, neither earned the starting spot. Mirotic was mending for months, Portis was suspended for eight games and rookie Lauri Markkanen took over and never looked back.

The Bulls quickly identified Markkanen as a future superstar and even started running the offense through him late in the season, so the writing was on the wall.

This time, Portis knows his part and wants to be an elite-level sixth man.

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“I really like that role,’’ Portis said. “I look at other guys around the league — Eric Gordon, Lou [Williams], guys like that. They come in and change the game. I feel I can do that for this club.

“It’s fun doing that. Sitting there, knowing I’m going to come in at about the five- or six-minute mark in the first quarter. Being able to sit there and know how the game is going, that’s a good thing.’’

Work in progress

So how are the Bulls adapting to the switching style of defense in the early days of camp?

Well, call it the very early stages.

“Right now, we’re just going through the basics of switch concepts and our defensive rules, everyone talking and things like that,’’ guard Zach LaVine said.

Hoiberg agreed that it’s early in the process.

“It’s just basics at this point and understanding what we have to do behind the coverage, making sure we get everything covered in rotations,’’ Hoiberg said. “That’s what it’s been about to this point. We do have to have switching as a weapon. We understand that. It’s yet to be determined if that’s our primary coverage. But right now, it’s been about the basics and getting our rules in, getting back in transition, taking away easy baskets and building our foundation.’’

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