Cristiano Felicio

Sam Smith

Bulls Season Highlights: Cristiano Felicio

Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio has become a familiar face to Bulls fans, having become the longest tenured Bull and only holdover from the 2015-16 team. Felicio has been on the Bulls long enough to have been teammates with Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose, and though his minutes and role have fluctuated throughout his Bulls career, he has remained a positive influence on the bench, a hard worker always available when called upon.

With an influx of young frontcourt talent coming into the organization in the last few years – chief among them Wendell Carter Jr., Daniel Gafford – Felicio saw his role diminish this season, and through a combination of injury and lack of available frontcourt minutes, he did not see the court this season until January 13. When he did play, the Bulls were often banged up or undermanned (with the aforementioned Gafford and Carter Jr. missing time with injury), but Felicio always played hard when given the chance.

Felicio throws it down against the 76ers.

Let’s take a look at a couple Felicio’s performances this season:

JANUARY 22, 2020 VS MINNESOTA (BULLS 117, WOLVES 110)

Felicio Stat Line: 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 assist

In a game in which the Bulls took a 19-point first half lead and then held on for dear life as Karl Anthony Towns dropped 40, the Bulls got a much-needed home W due to a hard-charging team effort, and Felicio’s contributions in 22 minutes off the bench was a huge boon to a group missing their top two centers. Felicio made the most of every chance he had, finishing inside and playing within the system while grabbing boards and battling an All Star on the other end. This is how role players can best impact games, and Felicio played within his role and was a key contributor on this night.

FEBRUARY 9, 2020 AT PHILADELPHIA (SIXERS 118, BULLS 111)

Felicio Stat Line: 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-4 FT), 7 rebounds, 1 steal

Though Felicio did not put up monster numbers, this stat line and performance was absolutely nothing to sneeze at. The Bulls walked into this February road game down a lot of bodies – including both Carter Jr. and Gafford – and had to match up with one of the league’s biggest teams, with an All Star frontcourt of Joel Embiid and Al Horford while 6’10” Ben Simmons attacked the basket from the outside. In a matchup in which the Bulls were competitive and leading in the 4th quarter, it was the hot outside shooting of Furkan Korkmaz that did them in (Korkmaz hitting 12 of his 17 shots, including 6 threes, en route to a 30-point night), but Felicio and the undermanned Bulls scrapped their way to making this one respectable.

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Bulls 2019-2020 Season Recap: Cristiano Felicio

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Cristiano's Moment: Presented by BMO Harris Bank

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2016-17 Cristiano Felicio Season Averages: 4.8 PPG, 4.7 REB, .6 AST

Cristiano Felicio was a great find from the Bulls scouting department in the offseason before 2015-16. The undrafted big man from Brazil came to the team raw, but over the past two years has molded himself into a legitimate young NBA center, a capable defender and rebounder who became known for his ability to throw down thunderous dunks and finish at the rim. The 24-year old is still a bit raw after two season in the league, but became known for always bringing the hustle in spot minutes for the Bulls this season. He played in 66 games in 2016-17 and Bulls fans knew when he came in that he was going to give it his all. Let’s take a look at some of his notable performances from this season:

at Indiana Pacers, December 30 - The Bulls started this game off poorly and played catchup the rest of this game, ultimately coming up short on the road against the Pacers, but Felicio was one of the main reasons the Bulls were even in the game in the 4th quarter. He played the role of cleanup man and flashed signs of the big man he could soon become, as he posted 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds (including 6 offensive boards) to keep his team in the game.

Felicio Stat Line: 12 points (4-5 FG), 4-5 FT, 12 rebounds (6ORB), 2 assists, 1 steal

at Orlando Magic, January 24 - In a matchup with a young, athletic team, Felicio showed why his potential gets Bulls fans excited. In just 20 minutes, Felicio was a force down low, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards in an effective performance off the bench to help the Bulls to a convincing victory over the Magic.

Felicio Stat Line: 12 points (4-6 FG), 4-6 FT, 10 rebounds

vs Toronto Raptors, February 14 - The Bulls continued their winning streak over the Toronto Raptors, and Felicio played well throughout, throwing down a couple of dunks that got the crowd hyped and making an impact on both ends to help the Bulls utilize their size advantage to help get a win over a conference rival. Felicio played 26 minutes and posted a plus/minus of +11 in a game the Bulls won by 11. Felicio played well throughout and showed flashes of what he could become.

Felicio Stat Line: 10 points (4-6 FG), 2-2 FT, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist

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Bulls Player Rewind: Cristiano Felicio

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