The Bulls have been ravaged by COVID-19 more than any team in the NBA over the past two years, but there may be something positive to come out of it all: the play of forward Alfonzo McKinnie, the Chicago native who signed with the team on a hardship exemption contract on December 10 and re-signed on a second 10-day contract on December 20.
McKinnie posted 16 points and five rebounds in the Bulls’ victory over the Rockets on Monday, a performance that has some thinking he might be worthy of a more permanent spot on the roster.
As veteran Bulls beat reporter K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago wrote after that showing, “McKinnie could — and probably should — take a roster spot currently inhabited by the non-guaranteed Matt Thomas.”
Indeed, McKinnie is a much more NBA-ready option than Thomas, having bounced through four organizations in four years since making his NBA debut with the Raptors in 2017. McKinnie played for the Warriors in 2018-19, the Cavaliers in 2019-20 and the Lakers last season.
He has averaged only 4.1 points in 168 games, but does have significant playoff experience, having appeared in 22 postseason games while in Golden State, including the NBA Finals. That could be important for a team looking to make a deep postseason run.
Thomas, meanwhile, has been in the NBA three seasons and has made 13 playoff appearances.
‘It’s the Biggest Dream Come True’
McKinnie is a feel-good story in a year that has become more and more difficult as more players find themselves dropped onto the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols list. He grew up on the city’s West Side and went to Curie High before going on to Marshall High, where NBA standout Patrick Beverley also went.
He has only played in three games after starting the season with Mexico City of the G League, but those three games have been meaningful for him.
As McKinnie said, per the Chicago Sun-Times, “Man, to be honest, it’s the biggest dream come true. I’m a West Side kid. I grew up like 10, 15 minutes down the way. House was a Bulls house. Watched the Bulls growing up. So just being able to compete on the highest stage in my hometown, on my favorite side of the city, the West Side, it’s been surreal to be honest. Just putting that jersey on has been everything for me.”
McKinnie Began His Pro Career in Chicago
In a way, this is a second homecoming for McKinnie, whose professional career started with the Windy City Bulls in 2016-17, after he spent two years in college with Eastern Illinois, then moved on to Wisconsin-Green Bay for his final two seasons.
While he has struggled to find a consistent spot in the NBA, McKinnie is clearly too good for the G League, where he was averaging 24.1 points and 9.7 rebounds this year, making 43.3% of his 3-pointers in 10 games. With the NBA scrambling for players as COVID-19 rages through the league, McKinnie could secure his spot with his hometown team.
“I just got a vision for myself,” McKinnie said. “I want the best for me and my family. In order to do that, I have to wake up every day and just get to it. I know there are going to be a lot of downs and I just have to stick with it. It has gotten me this far. It has helped me get other opportunities. And I’m here now.”
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Newly Signed Chicagoan ‘Probably Should’ Land Bulls Roster Spot: Insider