advertisement

Portis happy to concede starting role, focus on being sixth man

During his initial news conference at media day, Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg raved about the prospects of having a competitive training camp.

But there are limits to that idea. Bobby Portis told reporters Tuesday he already has conceded the starting job at power forward to Lauri Markkanen. Portis doesn't want it.

"I like the (sixth-man) role," Portis said. "I get to come off the bench and score a lot. Who doesn't like to score the ball? That's a fun gig. Coach has trust in me to shoot the shots I want to shoot. It's a fun gig to have."

Portis was conceivably a candidate for the league's Sixth Man Award last season when he averaged a career-best 13.2 points. He figures to be a key contributor for the Bulls this season as another big man who can help space the floor with his outside shooting.

"It kind of made my summer easier," Portis said. "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."

It will be a surprise if the Bulls' opening-night lineup is anything other than Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker, Markkanen and Robin Lopez. So most of the roles on the team are understood, but Hoiberg admitted it's unique for a player to take on Portis' attitude about starting.

Portis used to sit next to a player with the same mentality, when Taj Gibson was with the Bulls. Hoiberg told a story about last season when Portis did start a few times as the team experimented with different lineups.

"I think it was after the third game he started, he came and said, 'Coach, can you put me (in) off the bench again?' " Hoiberg said. "You don't hear that very often at this level, so it's great to have a guy who appreciates that role. It's great to have that spark and that energy and competitiveness coming off your bench."

Of course, Portis got off to a terrible start last season due to the practice altercation with Nikola Mirotic and resulting eight-game suspension. As it turns out, those two may face each other as opponents for the first time when the Bulls host New Orleans in Sunday's preseason opener.

The Bulls traded Mirotic to the Pelicans on Feb. 1, essentially for the first-round pick they used to select Chandler Hutchison. It wouldn't be accurate to say all was forgiven between Portis and Mirotic at the time of the trade, but they did play very well together last season and were the Bulls' most successful two-man lineup combination.

At one point, Portis suggested he would release a story about his side of the altercation on the Players' Tribune, but eventually decided to leave it alone.

"Me and Niko always compete at a high level against each other," Portis said. "We're two competitors, two guys who love the game of basketball. He had a good playoffs, good end of the year.

"I was happy for him and what he did. It will be fun to compete against him on Sunday. At the same time, we're trying to build our chemistry here and get ready for (the regular-season opener in Philadelphia on Oct. 18)."

• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls

No TNT home games, but Bulls can give thanks for this year's schedule

Bulls sign former Michigan point guard Walton

Butler puts Thibodeau on the spot with reported trade request

Daily Herald sports writers talk Bulls, Blackhawks

Grooming, trolling and hitting the weights: A tour of Bulls media day

Some key questions for start of Bulls' training camp

Chicago Bulls' center Carter says he'll learn from, compete against Lopez

Bulls forward Bobby Portis said he's most comfortable coming off the bench as the sixth man as opposed to starting. Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.