In the past couple of years, the Chicago Bulls have decided it is time to make a playoff push. The team traded young pieces such as Wendell Carter Jr. for veteran Nikola Vučević and acquired All-Star DeMar DeRozan. But that doesn't mean the team forgot about developing its young pieces.
Ayo Dosunmu was named All-Rookie Second Team last year, just like Patrick Williams the season before. And those two are not the only youngsters Chicago has that fans should keep an eye on.
With both Dosunmu and Williams sitting out for the 2022 NBA 2K Summer League, other players had the chance their potential on an NBA-like stage.
Here are some overreactions from Bulls fans following the team's play in Las Vegas.
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Biggest Chicago Bulls Summer League Overreactions
Dalen Terry looks like a steal, but turnovers and injuries are worrying
The 18th pick in this year's draft Dalen Terry impressed in his Summer League stint. He averaged 11.8 points on very high efficiency, shooting 50-40-80 in five games.
He showed some potential on the defensive end of the floor, always communicating and not afraid of taking fouls to avoid the opponents' baskets.
However, Terry did struggle at the beginning of the tournament, recording 13 turnovers in his first two games. He took a major offensive role compared to his years in Arizona, and it showed that he still needs to work on his ball-handling skills and passing. The Bulls' coaching staff was able to recognize the problem and Terry changed his role. He then became more of an off-ball offensive threat, constantly moving around to get a better look at the basket.
In the team's final game, Terry suffered a non-contact injury that made fans worry about his health. The Bulls later announced it was a hamstring injury, not a knee as it appeared. Terry sat out for the remainder of the game.
As a non-lottery selection, the rookie is not expected to be a game-changing piece right away, especially in a team with DeRozan and Zach Lavine. Terry should have his time to develop and learn from the veterans without the pressure of being a cornerstone player with the immediate impact expected from others.
Other players from the main roster flashed what they produce in the regular season
One of the players that made the most out of the Summer League was Marko Simonović. The second-year forward/center had 15.6 points and 8.8 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. He had a big double-double with 27 points and 13 boards against the Dallas Mavericks.
Marko with a monster game 😤
27 points | 10-19 FG | 13 rebs | 3 blocks pic.twitter.com/2rhbY9naft
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 8, 2022
Although posting big numbers, Simonović should still be behind Vučević and recently signed Andre Drummond. Should the young player improve his 3-point shooting (only making one out of 11 in the Summer League), he could make himself more impactful than Drummond.
Two-way players Javon Freeman-Liberty and Justin Lewis showed some flashes, but are still a bit away from earning meaningful minutes in the main roster. The latter showed that he can contribute on defense, but has to improve offensively (one for eight from 3s) if he wants to secure a spot in the rotation.
Overall, the Bulls were able to see a little bit of what the young players can do. With a roster full of veterans, Terry and Simonović should be solid rotational pieces, but could also still spend time in the G League. As the team wants to go for a playoff push, those two could be more a future project than a win-now move from Chicago.
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