Aussies in NBA: Bairstow learning and staying patient

Cameron Bairstow understands that patience is a virtue. Twelve games into the 2015/16 NBA season, Bairstow has played a total of 9 minutes and 51 seconds. Obviously as a competitor you want to play as many minutes as possible, but at this stage in Bairstow's young NBA career it is about learning.

Having Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah as mentors is a great start, and at the beginning of the season Bairstow had nothing but positives to say about the two big men.

via The Sydney Morning Herald:

Seeing how guys like Pau and (centre Joakim Noah) approach the game are lessons you can't learn from anywhere else."

It's this attitude that holds Bairstow in good stead as he finds his feet in the league and figures out what works best for him.

A move that worked extremely well for Bairstow against Charlotte in early November was the sky hook. It may be Bairstow's only bucket for the season, but what a beauty it was.

[gfycat data_id="VigilantFineGrosbeak"]

You've got to respect the Bairstow sky hook!

Playing less than 10 total minutes in twelve games hasn't allowed Bairstow the opportunity to gain experience on the court, and with the Bulls drafting power forward Bobby Portis in this years draft, he finds himself at the bottom of pecking order at the four. Meanwhile Gasol and Noah take up all meaningful minutes at the centre position.

The lack of playing time can be seen as a negative by many, but it can also be a highly motivating factor for a player like Bairstow. The need to work as hard as possible on his game to eliminate deficiencies and improve his strengths will see him eventually force his way into Fred Hoiberg's rotation.

During Summer League, Hoiberg reiterated Bairstow's worth to the Chicago Bulls; "I really like Cam. He does all the dirty work, things that don't show up in the box score."

The Bulls and Hoiberg see potential in Bairstow and appear keen to keep him around, allowing him to develop his game. With his positive attitude and willingness to learn, Bairstow is doing everything he can to repay the faith.

UPDATE: There has been a rumour from D-League Digest on Bairstow's move to the D-League, with no further details at this point.