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10. Denzel Valentine, SG/SF

Denzel Valentine is the Bulls’ first-round draft pick this year, and he fills the check boxes for where the NBA is headed. He can play multiple positions (anything from the 1 to the 3) and was a 40.8 percent three-point shooter in college.

He started slowly but has been better lately (when given a chance). According to NBA.com, he’s averaged 16.5 points and 3.3 assists per 36 minutes over his last five appearances. His effective field goal percentage is 62.5 percent, and the Bulls’ offensive rating is 117.7 with him on the court.

And despite all that, he’s only played five games once activated from injury—the other five were DNPs (although, one of those was due to illness). As such, he serves as yet another example of the team playing for the present rather than the future.

Grade: B

9. Rajon Rondo, PG

Rajon Rondo is the chief exhibit of where the front office went wrong. He provides little to no value to the team; According to ESPN.com, he’s added 0.2 wins.

By contrast, E’Twaun Moore, whom the Bulls let walk in free agency (and sign for less with the New Orleans Pelicans) would have been a perfect fit. Moore has range, guards multiple positions and was better playing off Butler. According to NBAWowy.com, the Bulls were 8.1 points per 100 possessions better with Butler and Moore on and Derrick Rose off last year.

This year, the Bulls are plus-1.7 with both Rondo and Butler on, and plus-6.6 with Butler on and Rondo off.

Hoiberg temporarily pulled Rondo out of the rotation and then reinserted him as a second-team point guard. Rondo is averaging 5.2 boards and 5.8 assists in 22.6 minutes there, according to NBA.com, but he’s shooting just 31.6 percent, and the Bulls are -0.4 points per 48 minutes.

Whether it’s taking away from Butler’s effectiveness as a starter or taking playing time from developing youngsters, there’s just no reason to have Rondo on this team outside of some delusion that they can make some noise in the playoffs.

Grade: C-

8. Cristiano Felicio, C

Cristiano Felicio should clue the front office in on what happens when you allow a player to work his way into growth: He keeps getting more playing time, and as he gets more playing time, he improves.

Felicio's averaging 10.1 rebounds and 13.0 points per 36 minutes and shooting 67.6 percent from the field since the calendar flipped. He’s making fewer defensive mistakes, and because of that, he’s become the Bulls' closing center. He is third, only to Butler and Dwyane Wade in fourth-quarter minutes, since the calendar flipped.

Grade: B+

7. Nikola Mirotic, PF

Mirotic is a barometer to a level approaching the truly bizarre; it’s almost to the point where you can just look at his stat line and know if the Bulls won or lost.

In wins, he has a 57.0 true shooting percentage, and it’s just 45.9 percent in losses. That extends to the defensive end too: When he’s scoring, it’s almost as if his shot going in gives him energy on the other side of the court. He blocks shots, gets steals, draws charges and is a borderline good defender.

But when his shot isn’t falling, he tends to mope and lollygag. The falloff is arguably even greater defensively than offensively; it’s just harder to establish statistically.

His value would increase immensely if he could become consistent, even in effort when not wet.

Grade: C

6. Doug McDermott, SF

In some ways, McDermott is slipping this year, what with his three-point percentage dropping from 42.5 percent to 34.7. While some of that is just due to an old-fashioned slump, that’s not the only (or even primary) reason why.

Hoiberg has him standing around a lot, usually just in the corner waiting for a pass. That results in a lot of contested shots. According to Synergy Sports Tech , 56.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot chances are in “guarded” situations, and he shoots 1.1 points per possession compared to 43.8 percent that are unguarded. (He scores 1.33 points per possession on those).

Running him through more screens (he has just 51 attempts off screens this season) would probably result in more open looks.

Grade: B