Getty Ja Morant drives to the basket past multiple Chicago Bulls defenders during a game on April 16.
As the Chicago Bulls watch the NBA Playoffs continue on from home, they’re watching former players left and right shine in new situations, some admittedly more than others.
Bobby Portis, Chandler Hutchison, Daniel Gafford, Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker, Jimmy Butler, Kris Dunn, Robin Lopez, Shaquille Harrison, and Taj Gibson all made the playoffs in a year where their former team came up short.
And guard Cameron Payne, who Chicago acquired in the trade deadline deal that saw Taj Gibson leave the Windy City.
The 26-year old guard is averaging 13.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in the Phoenix Suns’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
He’s attracted league-wide attention, but most recently from Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard Ja Morant, who made sure to take a stab at the Chicago Bulls along the way.
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Morant: ‘What They Gon Say Now?
With Chris Paul reinjured in Game Five of the Phoenix Suns playoff series against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, the team turned to Cameron Payne to step up in his absence.
And the sixth man responded, putting up 16 points on seven-of-11 shooting from the field in the Game Five win.
It drew even more attention to Payne’s resurgence. After spending 56 games with the Chicago Bulls, and an increasingly short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he went overseas and played in China, albeit briefly.
To the defense of Chicago and Cleveland, he looks the part of a completely different player today, hitting above 40 percent mark from three and displaying the IQ to run an offense behind one of the best of all time in Chris Paul.
Still, Ja Morant isn’t letting the Bulls forget what they potentially could have had.
The point guard’s comment comes in response to a quote reported by Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times back in 2017:
We knew the second practice [after he was acquired] that he couldn’t play at [an NBA] level. The only reason it took two practices was because we thought maybe it was nerves in the first one. Any [Bulls] coach who says differently is lying. . . . We got ‘Garred’ on that one.
It’s definitely not comforting to look back on today, with the Chicago Bulls watching the NBA playoffs from home, and Cameron Payne taking his game to new levels on basketball’s biggest stage.
But he’s not the only former player making a statement.
Gafford Fueling Wizards
Down three games to none, Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks put Daniel Gafford in the starting lineup for Game Four, as he looked for answers for Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid.
The 22-year old responded, and in a big way, going off for 12 points and five blocks on the night.
Gafford’s looking like the steal acquisition of the season. He’s brought rim protection and energy to a team that couldn’t have needed it any more when he arrived, and still needed it in Game Four of the playoffs.
Averaging 12.8 points and two blocks per game, it’s hard not to wonder where the Washington Wizards would be without Daniel Gafford. For now, they live to fight another game, with Game Five slated for Wednesday.
And the Chicago Bulls, well, they’re taking it all in from home.
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