The Chicago Bulls announced on Friday that they have officially waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo. Subsequently, guard Carlik Jones has been given Antetokounmpo’s two-way contract spot.
The Antetokounmpo brother became a surprise addition to the Bulls’ training camp roster this summer. Filling a position of need as a defensive-minded forward, he went on to win one of the organization’s two available two-way contracts. Antetokounmpo didn’t go on to appear in a single regular season game for the Bulls, however, spending the bulk of his time in the G-League averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in 12 contests.
All things considered, that stat line is fine for the 25-year-old, but it does pale in comparison to the newly-signed Jones. The Bulls first got a look at Jones during Summer League in Las Vegas before inviting him to training camp. While he didn’t end up winning the final roster spot at the time, he did sign a deal to join the G-League roster. Now, after averaging a very impressive 20.9 points (52.9 FG%, 43.1 3PT%), 7.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game with the Windy City Bulls, Jones has earned himself an upgrade.
I might be overthinking it, but I’m not sure it’s a coincidence that this news comes in the wake of the recent Lonzo Ball update. With his return to the court this season still very much up in the air, the Bulls might be a little more open to adding another guard into the mix.
Of course, this isn’t to say that we should expect Jones to suddenly play a real role on the Bulls roster, but it might be worth evaluating him further in practice after a second-straight impressive G-League campaign. While Jones is certainly undersized at the point guard position, he’s proven to pack quite an attractive scoring punch.