With a Lithuanian basketball executive in Arturas Karnisovas leading the way, it should be no surprise that the Chicago Bulls are able to identify NBA-level talent abroad, as they did when agreed to sign Turkish wing Onuralp Bitim to a two-way contract on Friday (per ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski).

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, the 24-year-old Bitim averaged 17.8 points, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal per contest while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 36.6 percent 3, leading to him earning second-team All-EuroCup honors. It was his best season to date, with Bitim improving on a 2021-22 campaign that saw him averaging 14.4 points, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game on 49.9 percent shooting from the floor and 36.6 percent shooting from 3.

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Bitim was originally reported to have signed with the Bulls on a two-way contract candidate on Jun. 24. However, he didn't join the Bulls during the 2023 NBA Summer League, bringing his future with the Bulls in question.

The Bulls organization should be ecstatic about their ability to actually bring Bitim stateside, as he's a high IQ basketball player with not only a great jumper but impressive length, straight-line speed and shot-creation abilities. Although the athletic advantage he holds in the NBA won't be nearly as prominent as it was in Turkey, Bitim is no sitting duck dotting opponent's eyes between the eyes, increasing the likelihood that he sticks around in the NBA.

Nonetheless, having Bitim available for the 50 regular season games that two-way players are allotted could go a long way towards helping them improve on their outside shooting. Though one of the more efficient teams from beyond the arc, Chicago ranked dead last in 3-point conversions (10.4) and 3-point attempts (28.9) per game.