Bulls get surprise in Portis

Bobby Portis, right, poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 22nd overall by the Chicago Bulls during the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 25, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Bobby Portis has been working out in Chicago for the past two months because that's where his agency, Priority Sports, is located.

Despite Portis' presence in the city, the Chicago Bulls weren't among 11 teams that brought in the former Arkansas forward for workouts leading up to Thursday night's NBA Draft.

That didn't stop the Bulls from taking Portis, a 6-11 forward from Little Rock Hall, with the No. 22 pick in the first round.

"I didn't know they were high on me," Portis told Comcast SportsNet Chicago. "I thought some other teams were high on me, but the dice didn't fall right then.

"I'm very grateful to be a Chicago Bull. It's a franchise that prides itself on winning, and I feel like I can help be a part of that winning culture."

Bulls General Manager Gar Forman said after the draft the team didn't have Portis in for a workout because of the belief he would be gone before Chicago's pick.

"We had him ranked as a late lottery pick going into the night," Forman said at a news conference. "The last couple days we talked about other guys more because we didn't think he would be there."

Most mock drafts had Portis going between the No. 13 and 17 picks. When Portis was still there at No. 22, Forman said the Bulls followed the formula of taking the best available player.

"Bobby's a guy that we've watched play the last few years at Arkansas and our entire staff has really liked him," Forman said. "We've had people just rave about his work ethic, how hard he plays, his makeup, his character and we really like his game.

"He's a big that can play inside, outside, 6-11, 250, 7-2 wingspan. As we saw him start to slip, we got excited about him and then we were surprised he was there."

Portis, 20, declared for the draft after being the SEC Player of the Year and a second-team All-American as a sophomore and averaging 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.

"We think he's a guy that has a lot of potential to get better," Forman said. "I think he's going to be a fit with our team. I think he's going to be a fit in our locker room."

New Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg came to Chicago from Iowa State and faced Arkansas last season, when Portis had 19 points and eight rebounds in the Razorbacks' 95-77 road loss to the Cyclones.

"First and foremost, he moves very well for a kid that size," Hoiberg said at a news conference after the draft. "He's over 6-10 and runs the floor extremely well, which is very important with the pace we're going to want to play with.

"The thing I'm excited about is his ability to play all over the floor."

Hoiberg said all of the Bulls' officials agreed Portis was the best pick for them.

"Being in the draft room, it's not very often when you get to your pick, especially in the 20s, and it's unanimous," Hoiberg said. "It was a great pick for us."

Forman said the Bulls scouted Portis extensively.

"I thought for his age, his game was more mature," Forman said. "He's still a young guy and there will still be a lot of growth that he'll have to go through, but the encouraging thing is we know he's going to be a worker and he's going to come in this building every day and try and get better."

Sports on 06/27/2015