NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls dropped their first Summer League game 94-77 to the New Orleans Pelicans … but don’t sweat it.
Summer League is all about player development and getting your feet wet, and the Bulls’ young prospects did exactly that on Monday afternoon. With that in mind, here are some notes on what we just saw!
• My first thought of the afternoon: Marko Simonovic can move. After poking the ball away along the perimeter in the first half, he broke out into the fastbreak and almost slammed it home before drawing the foul. The dude moved as well as advertised. For a guy his size, he has the kind of fluidity and ballhandling in transition that initially made Lauri Markkanen so intriguing. However, unlike Markkanen, he compliments this skill set with real physicality around the rim. There is no question he needs to bulk up to be able to hang with more imposing centers, but the willingness to embrace contact is there.
#Bulls assistant and Summer League coach Damian Cotter on new big man Marko Simonovic: "He showed some nice things. He's skilled. He's going to have to learn to deal with athletes going forward."
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) August 9, 2021
• Marko Simonovic finished the night with 13 points and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The guy missed three dunks (two of which, fortunately, led to trips to the free-throw line) and turned the ball over three times. I’d certainly consider this a fine Bulls debut, but I’ll need to see more before I can really begin to form an opinion around how this Bulls team should use him moving forward. I will say this: His get-it-and-go mentality helped this team push the pace from the start, and that is already something I could see Billy Donovan using in a second unit led by Coby White and Alex Caruso later this season.
• After Simonovic, Ayo Dosunmu, and Devon Dotson all checked out, it was Patrick Williams’ time. The Bulls No. 4-overall pick took complete control of the game, making his presence felt by continuously bringing the ball up the floor. His first almost-highlight of the day came after he grabbed a rebound, got out in transition, and found Simi Shittu with a beautiful pass underneath the cup (and I say “almost-highlight” because Shittu proceeded to miss the layup). The live-dribbling passing was a skill Williams flashed at moments last season, and we should see him flash even more distributing over the next couple of weeks as he plays the role of the No. 1 option.
• Speaking of which, from start to finish this was easily the most offensively aggressive we have ever seen the 19-year-old. Patrick Williams chucked up 20 shot attempts on the afternoon, 13 of which came in the first half (his regular-season career-high is 14). And that first half could not have gone better for Williams, who plowed his way into the paint, scored some easy points in transition, and made several smart passes. The best moment of the game, however, came when he drained an off-the-dribble 26 footer, which was a move that felt especially encouraging when we remember 123 of his 138 three-point attempts came on a catch-and-shoot look.
https://twitter.com/BN_Bulls/status/1424814079055704066?s=20
• After the first half came to a close, Williams did a 180. The Pelicans turned much of their defensive attention on the forward in the second half, and it’s clear Williams struggled to get back into a rhythm. He made a couple of plays on the defensive end and continued to grab rebounds, but he finished the game shooting a dismal 0-7. Add in his five turnovers and four personal fouls, and the final box score certainly looks far less sexy than we anticipated in the first half. But, hey, I’ll take 15 points and 12 rebounds in a Summer League debut.
Here are your Patrick Williams first half highlights from the SummerBulls opener.
(Don't ask about the second half) pic.twitter.com/8nmdZ5I5W2
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) August 9, 2021
• Devon Dotson is an absolute lightning rod. I’m still a bit surprised he failed to get any run last season when we consider the team’s point guard woes, but let’s not live in the past! I really liked what we saw from him in a heavy 32-minute workload. The speed was always his trademark, and it was on full display as he continued to beat defenders off the dribble to get into the teeth of the defense. Dotson finished the night with a team-high 16 points on an efficient 5-11 shooting performance from the field and 5-6 mark at the free-throw line. He also added 7 rebounds and 4 assists with just one turnover. His biggest issue came on the defensive end, where he was able to play a scrappy game but could not control the fouling (finished with 5).
• I can see Dotson having some really high-caliber performances with the Windy City Bulls this upcoming season, but for him to end up full-time on a pro roster, we are going to have to see this scoring keep up. He is not the most gifted shot-creator, so using that speed to fly toward the rim and draw content is pivotal.
• Ayo Dosunmu was not bad, but he also failed to stand out. The Bulls’ second-round draft pick did not look totally comfortable out there as he tried to figure out which role to fill. In his 27 minutes of action, he finished with just 6 points on 2-8 shooting from the field. He was able to add six rebounds and 2 assists to the box score, but his overall impact on the game felt minor. Remember, it’s just a Summer League outing (let alone the first one), so we should not be worried at all about the performance. All we should do is look forward to the next game and see if Dosunmu can find a better niche. The guy is a high-IQ player, and I suspect he’ll watch the film and make some good adjustments.
Ayo gets on the board! @AyoDos_11 pic.twitter.com/TrMFvNR2jH
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 9, 2021
• TROY BAXTER JR. SAID HELLO! The Morgan State product is a freak athlete, and he reminded us of that with a wicked block late in the 2nd quarter. I’d expect a couple of more highlight plays over the next four games.
• Among the more “unknown” roster members, Ethan Thompson made the biggest impression. The 22-year-old from Oregon State is known for being a streaky scorer, but he did not need the ball in his hands a whole lot to find his groove this afternoon. Thompson finished with 11 points behind three 3’s, one of which came after a smooth stepback. He also by far played the most minutes (26) of anyone on the bench, so I’ll be curious to see if that continues (and whether or not it is an indicator of the Bulls’ interest in keeping him as part of their G-League roster this season).
For a look at the box score click here.
