The Chicago Bulls 1986–87 were overwhelmingly driven by Michael Jordan, whose elite scoring, playmaking, rebounding, and defensive production made him the clear centerpiece of the team. Charles Oakley provided a dominant rebounding presence and efficient interior scoring, while John Paxson contributed steady backcourt play and perimeter shooting. The statistics indicate a team heavily reliant on Jordan’s all-around brilliance, supported by strong rebounding and complementary contributions from its veteran core.
As team’s undisputed focal point — led the NBA in scoring and steals, drove nearly 40% of team offense while anchoring perimeter defense.
MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA 1st, All-Defensive 1st
Charles Oakley
“Enforcer / Board-Boss”
36.3
Medium-High
14.5
13.1
3.6
1.4 (1.0+0.4)
≈ 16.3
Led league in total rebounds — provided the physical backbone and second-effort defense/rebounding; often cleaned up missed shots to compensate for a thin supporting roster.
—
John Paxson
“Steady Floor-Runner”
32.8
Medium
11.3
1.7
5.7
0.9 (0.8+0.1)
≈ 9.8
Served as primary ball-mover when Jordan rested — offered reliable outside shooting and distribution, helping maintain offensive flow at second-unit level.
—
Gene Banks
“3-and-D / Role Wing”
28.9
Medium
9.7
4.9
2.7
1.1 (0.8+0.3)
≈ 9.2
Provided perimeter spacing (high FG% on limited 3PA) and modest rebounding — useful as a complementary wing though limited overall burden.
—
Dave Corzine
“Backup Big / Minutes Filler”
27.9
Medium-Low
8.3
6.6
2.5
1.6 (0.5+1.1)
≈ 9.5
Offered size minutes off the bench, contributing inside presence and modest defense — served to preserve starter health without big drop-off.
—
Brad Sellers
“Stretch-4 / Spot Minutes”
21.9
Low-Medium
8.5
4.7
1.3
1.5 (0.6+0.9)
≈ 7.5
Provided occasional scoring punch and floor spacing in limited minutes — useful depth but limited consistency or defensive impact.
—
Earl Cureton
“Deep Bench Big”
25.7
Low
6.9
5.3
1.6
0.9 (0.3+0.6)
≈ 7.4
Offered rotational depth at center — modest rebounding/defense, but limited offensive role and usage.
—
Sedale Threatt
“Swing-Guard Backup”
19.5
Low
7.9
1.3
4.4
1.3 (1.1+0.2)
≈ 7.4
Served as a change-of-pace guard off the bench; provided some ball-handling & secondary creation though minutes and role were limited.
—
Steve Colter
“Short-Stint Reserve PG”
17.5
Low
4.9
1.6
3.5
0.9 (0.7+0.2)
≈ 5.5
Saw spot minutes at point guard — limited impact due to small sample size, more depth-than-substantial.
—
Elston Turner
“Deep-Reserve Wing”
13.4
Low
3.5
1.6
1.5
0.5 (0.4+0.1)
≈ 3.5
Minimal contribution — primarily bowl-cleaning minutes, little offensive or defensive influence.
—
Mike Brown
“Spot Center / Garbage Time”
13.2
Low
4.2
3.5
0.4
0.4 (0.3+0.1)
≈ 4.8
Sparse minutes, limited role — provided occasional size off bench but inconsistent impact.
—
Granville Waiters
“Marginal Reserve C”
12.1
Very Low
1.9
2.0
0.5
0.9 (0.2+0.7)
≈ 3.2
Saw very limited action — role marginal, used mainly in mop-up or low-leverage minutes.
—
Ben Poquette
“Occasional Spot-Minutes PF”
8.0
Very Low
2.4
1.1
0.3
0.7 (0.1+0.6)
≈ 2.1
Very small sample size and negligible impact; occasional floor time but no consistent contribution.
—
Darren Daye
“Unused Reserve”
7.0
Very Low
1.0
1.0
0.0
1.0 (0.0+1.0)
≈ 1.5
Practically no role — negligible contribution in both offense and defense.
—
Fred Cofield
“Deep-Bench Guard”
5.4
Very Low
0.8
1.0
0.8
0.4 (0.4+0.0)
≈ 2.0
Minimal minutes and negligible usage — depth only.
—
Pete Myers
“End-of-Bench Guard”
5.3
Very Low
2.3
0.6
0.7
0.6 (0.5+0.1)
≈ 2.8
Very limited but slightly more floor time than lowest reserves — occasional garbage-time contributions.
—
Perry Young
“Minute-Filler SG”
4.0
Very Low
1.0
0.2
0.0
0.2 (0.2+0.0)
≈ 1.2
Practically no meaningful role — marginal usage and minimal impact.
