How Often Will We See Dalen Terry? Nikola Vucevic’s Big Year, and Other Bulls Bullets

I’ve seen enough … Dalen Terry for Rookie of the Year!

https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1563288016474427392?s=20&t=ndNZiqjgQKVP4eEzrTGWIw

  • In all seriousness, I have some pretty big questions about how much playing time Terry will see in the coming months. While the Bulls do seem excited about his plug-and-play potential, we can’t be sure how NBA-ready head coach Billy Donovan views Terry to be just yet. If one thing is for sure, however, it’s that Donovan loves high-energy and fearless role players. He praised players like Javonte Green and Ayo Dosunmu for those traits last season, rewarding each with plenty of playing time throughout the year. Terry undoubtedly brings the kind of effort and unselfishness that Donovan covets, and I guess we can’t rule out that leading to some of his own early playing time.
  • On one hand, how willing Donovan was to give Dosunmu playing time could tell us something about how the team might handle Terry. On the other hand, Dosunmu’s playing time was initially fueled by circumstance. A more healthy Bulls team this season will likely mean fewer opportunities for Terry to make his mark. And, as much as I want to watch Terry play consistently, I’ll gladly take a healthier and more competitive product.
  • I don’t think Vucevic’s ability to adapt to the modern game is celebrated enough. He and Brook Lopez are really the only two current big men to add a floor-spacing game after previously spending all their time in the paint. It’s pretty darn impressive.
  • HoopsHype ranked the top-25 centers heading into this season, and Vucevic landed at No. 14 (right ahead of Jusuf Nurkic and right behind Al Horford). There is no question the two-time All-Star’s ceiling is much higher than what that ranking might imply, but I also can’t say he should sit any higher right now. Every name in front of him put together a better 2021-22 campaign, and Vucevic will need to relocate his 3-ball this year to consider surpassing any of them.
  • Indeed, Vucevic might be the player on this roster with the most to prove this season. He’s headed into a contract year after initially being hand-picked by this front office as their first big-name acquisition. If he wants to prove he’s still a core part of this new era in Chicago, he simply has to look more like his former self on the offensive end. And, to be sure, that doesn’t mean replicating the box scores he had in Orlando. The Bulls need Vucevic to adjust to his new third-banana role while channeling some of those things that made him great on his former team (3-point shooting, post-ups, rebounding, interior passing). Let’s hope he can do just that after having one full season to work out the kinks.
  • Bleacher Report recently picked the “Most Important Player Improvement” for each team around the league, and I’m not sure I fully agree with their take on the Bulls. They called upon Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams to form a more cohesive defensive unit, which feels a bit odd considering they had one of the better defenses in the league when those guys were on the floor last season. If the “improvement” they speak of is merely staying healthy, I see where they are coming from. But if they are saying those three need to collectively perform better, I’m not sure that’s entirely fair.
  • Candace Parker did it all for the Sky last night.
  • Future star!
  • This is going to be a long rebuild in Chicago, isn’t it?
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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