NEWSLETTER
On Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Bulls officially announced the signings of Alize Johnson, Stanley Johnson, Matt Thomas, and Ethan Thompson that we had learned about earlier in the week. But a day earlier, ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted that all are on non-guaranteed deals, which is to say there projects to be a training camp competition to solidify the final few roster spots ahead of the season. But those aren’t the only new players on the bubble.
In their flurry of announcements today, the Bulls went on to add another signing to that training camp roster: Big Ten basketball standout Tyler Cook has signed with the team.
Welcome to Chicago, @iamtc25! pic.twitter.com/7GPdDtp1uq
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 8, 2021
Cook gives the Chicago Bulls a 6’8″ frame with 45 games of NBA experience under his belt to evaluate for power forward depth. He went undrafted in 2019 and has bounced around the league since playing for Cleveland, Denver, Brooklyn, and Detroit. Most recently with the tanking Pistons this past season, Cook appeared in 28 games where he averaged 5.5 points (68 percent from the field) and 3.3 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game.
In college, Cook was known for his well-rounded play and athleticism. He averaged 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as he helped lead Iowa to the second round of the NCAA Tournament (and earned All-Big Ten honors).
I have a hard time believing his reputation as a young NBA journeyman stops in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean it’s the worst flyer to take. The Bulls are clearly weighing a number of young options at the forward positions, and while I believe Stanley Johnson and Alize Johnson are still in line to make this roster, Cook is the type who can ensure some healthy competition ensues.
