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In his fifth NBA season (all with Chicago), Felicio averaged 3.9 points and 4.6 boards across 17.5 minutes per contest as a contributor off the bench toward the end of the season. He shot a healthy 63.0 percent from the field and 78.3 percent from the free-throw line - both career highs. Felicio spent much of the season with the Windy City Bulls of the G League and earned playing time down the stretch because of injuries to both Wendell Carter and Daniel Gafford. If he remains with the NBA team, Felicio will likely compete with Luke Kornet for minutes behind Carter and Gafford, who are both expected to be healthy for the 2020-21 season. A likely decrease in minutes and the potential to spend time in the G League limits Felicio's already-minimal fantasy appeal, and the big man does not need to be drafted, even in deeper leagues.
Felicio spent last season bouncing between the NBA and the G-League. While he was impressive with the Windy City Bulls (17.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.6 BLK, 1.5 STL), that failed to translate to the parent club. He saw 17.8 minutes per game across 55 games -- the bulk of his time coming after the All-Star break -- and averaged 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 59.1 percent from the field. Felicio’s role is expected to shrink this year given the addition of Wendell Carter Jr. to the mix, plus the continued presence of Robin Lopez and Bobby Portis. As a result, Felicio can be ignored in the vast majority of Fantasy formats.
Felicio played in a career-high 66 games during the 2016-17 campaign, but was still stuck as a reserve center and averaged just 15.8 minutes per game. That translated to 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, while shooting 57.9 percent from the floor. The big man also had a brutal effort from the free-throw line, connecting on just 64.5 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. While he surely needs improvement across the board, Felicio is still young and the Bulls felt comfortable committing to him with a four-year $32 million contract extension in the offseason. While Robin Lopez is still in line to start at center, the fact that the Bulls are in rebuild mode following the trade of Jimmy Butler could mean they dole out more minutes to Felicio at the center position. Look for his playing time to climb a bit, though that will likely come with only minor games across the box score.
Felicio appeared in only five of the Bulls' first 50 games, but moved into a minor rotational role after the All-Star break. It's difficult to take anything away from Felicio's per-game averages -- 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes -- but he posted 11.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per 36 minutes, offering a glimpse of his long-term potential. The Brazilian big man is still a ways away from reaching that potential, of course, but he'll step into a much larger role this season following the summer departures of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. The Bulls brought in Robin Lopez to start at center, but Felicio could slot in as Lopez's top backup and may also see minutes at power forward in certain lineups. Felicio is a strong screen-setter with good touch around the rim, but he's unlikely to hold a large enough role offensively to generate significant fantasy value.
Felicio comes over from Brazil and provides the Bulls with another big body off the bench as he is 6-10, 275 pounds. He played in six games during the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 3.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 13 minutes per game. Although Felicio shot an excellent 56 percent from the field, he only shot 40 percent from the free-throw line. Felicio may have potential, but it is going to be very hard for him to see much playing time behind Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, and fellow rookie Bobby Portis.