The Chicago Bulls have kept one of their three two-way contract spots the same heading into their 2024-25 training camp. Adama Sanogo re-signed with the organization early in free agency following a stellar Year 1 in the G-League.
Coming off a national championship run with the UConn Huskies, Sanogo signed a two-way deal with the Bulls immediately following the 2023 NBA Draft. While he went on to appear in only nine regular season games, the big man dominated every step of the way in the G-League. Sanogo averaged 20.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks over his 45 contests for the Bulls’ affiliate. He led the G-League in total rebounds and shot 61.1 percent from the field, which was the highest clip of any player who scored 600 or more points. To little surprise, Sanogo went on to finish as one of the five players on the All-Rookie Team.
The 22-year-old is now set to return to Chicago for his sophomore campaign. While it’s possible the front office could hand his two-way spot to a training camp star, all signs point toward Sanogo remaining a part of the Bulls roster. Not only did last season’s performance warrant further evaluation, but it sure sounds like Billy Donovan doesn’t want the undersized center to go anywhere.
The Bulls’ head coach praised Sanogo’s work ethic and natural talent in a recent interview with CT Insider. He also suggested that Sanogo could be in for an increased role this season, which would surely fall in line with the franchise’s new direction.
“I’m hoping that he can stick,” Donovan told David Borges of CT Insider. “We don’t necessarily have a lot of size, so there may be more opportunities for him this year. But I love the kid. I envision he’d have more of an opportunity with us this year than last year.”
I encourage you to read Donovan’s full thoughts on Adama Sanogo via CT Insider here.
Will Bulls Find More Playing Time for Adama Sanogo?
To be sure, Billy Donovan isn’t going to say anything negative about the young big man. There is a world where this is simply a diplomatic answer to a question about a player’s future. Yet, at the same time, Donovan didn’t have to mention more playing time.
The Bulls do have an obvious lack of traditional size. While the team signed Jalen Smith to fill the void left by Andre Drummond, the rest of the roster still lacks options at the five. Sanogo may not be your classic center at six-foot-nine (and that’s a generous measurement), but he possesses a very strong frame and great rebounding instincts.
He flashed a little of what he could do at the NBA level in his 35 minutes against the Wizards at the end of last season. Sanogo recorded 22 points and 20 rebounds in the Bulls victory. Now, he had the benefit of matching up against a Washington lineup that also lacked a true big, but small ball is plenty prevalent in today’s NBA. The performance showed us that Sanogo may deserve another chance against the right matchup.
Could this be what Billy Donovan has in mind this year? While the center rotation will undoubtedly revolve around Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith, Sanogo could be an interesting option against certain opponents. Not to mention, he certainly fits into the organization’s youth movement. If the Bulls’ plan for this season is to focus on player development and to evaluate who is worth keeping around for the future, why not find playing time for the 22-year-old?
Heck, if the Bulls continue to shop Vucevic in the coming months (and they should), Sanogo could suddenly see himself thrust into a rotational role. The Bulls’ lack of urgency to add any other bigs this offseason might speak to Donovan’s belief in Sanogo. They may feel like there covered in the event that someone calls about Vucevic.
I say all of this knowing that the final roster will not be set for weeks. The Bulls have signed several other motivated youngsters to training camp deal, including Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenny Lofton Jr., and EJ Liddell. If more than one of these players makes the most out of the preseason, the front office could begin to rethink their two-way slots. Do Donovan’s words bode well for Sanogo heading into training camp? Of course, but what happens on the court over the next few weeks will be the deciding factor.