Let’s get one thing out of the way: If I was grading this based on hair alone, Ryan Arcidiacono would get an A+. The man bun was a questionable move, but he got it together down the stretch. He continues the Bulls franchise’s storied hair history, following in the footsteps of greats such as Artis Gilmore, Dennis Rodman, Joakim Noah.
Sadly, this isn’t a hair grade. This is a season grade. And Arch’s season was one to forget. His per-game averages in points, rebounds, and assists were his lowest since his rookie year. He also shot 65% from the free throw line, which is by far the lowest mark in his career (He shot over 80% from the line in his first two seasons and shot 71% last season). He averaged 10.2 minutes per game over 44 games, which is the lowest mark in his career. The lone bright spot is his plus/minus of 0.2, which is a marked improvement from -1.4 last year and -3.1 the year before. Additionally, his 41.9 field goal percentage is in line with his 2019-20 (40.9%) and 2017-18 (41.5%) seasons, though it falls short of his career-best mark of 44.7%, which he accomplished while averaging the most attempts of his career (5.2) in the 2018-19 season.
Obviously, it’s hard to assess a player based on traditional stats when their usage is so low. His advanced stats show improvements over last season in offensive rating, net rating, and assist percentage. His 5.60 assist-to-turnover ratio is by far his best, and he had a career best 7.4 rebound percentage.
But stats don’t tell the whole story with Arch. Over the last 4 seasons, he’s brought great energy to this Bulls team despite a relative lack of success. And he’s capable of good stretches, as we all saw when he cost the Bulls their lottery odds with a win over the Bucks. He looked impressive in that game, putting up 14 points while shooting 4/4 from 3 (5/6 overall).
Ryan Arcidiacono Season Grade: C
Arcidiacono pretty much met expectations for this season. Though his role was reduced compared to previous years, that was expected with the additions of Garrett Temple and Javonte Green along with minutes increases for Coby White and (for some reason) Denzel Valentine. I don’t expect Arch to be back with the Bulls next season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his energy and experience playing in big games (he won the college basketball championship with Villanova in 2016) lands him a role at the end of the bench for a contender.
All stats from nba.com