© Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Dalen Terry speaks of his development process now that he's getting more opportunities
As a rookie last season, Dalen Terry didn’t have the experience most players picked 19th overall in the NBA draft would have. The 6-foot-7 guard out of Arizona had extremely limited playing time and was often subbed in during garbage time, playing in only 38 games, averaging five minutes a game last season.
This season, with the Chicago Bulls missing lots of crucial rotation guys, Terry has seen his fair share of opportunities to be on the floor, making the most of every minute to make an impact for his team.
Heck of an experience
Though Terry is averaging just 10.1 minutes per game this season, it’s still considerably more than what he had in his rookie year. And while he’s still adjusting to the fast-paced nature of the NBA game, he’s making significant strides in his development.
“It’s been a helluva experience. Obviously, last year, I played two or three minutes at the end of the game, garbage time. Now, me being in the mix, I see what certain guys do and am learning different tendencies,” Terry said before the Bulls took on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
“I was just saying the other day, ‘We’ve played Cleveland a couple times. I know what some of these guys do.’ It’s kind of giving me a feeling of how it was in college when we played a certain team, and I knew what guys did.”
To be fair, Terry remains a work in progress. He’s averaging 2.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, shooting 40 percent from the field, including a dismal 23 percent from long distance. However, he hasn’t shied away from receiving both criticism and encouragement from his more experienced teammates.
“Most of the time, I’m an energy guy, a guy who sparks things off the bench. Playing with guys, connecting with passing,” Terry said.
“But Coby (White) yells at me if I don’t shoot. At this point, I have to listen to my teammates.”
Looking forward to doing the work
Now that he’s gotten a taste of what life is like in the rotation, Terry is keen on making himself an integral part of the Bulls. He admitted that he still has a long way to go but is willing to do the work needed to improve and contribute.
“I think I’m still really early in my development process. The way I work now and the way I work in the summer, it’s just the beginning of the development process. It’s going to be a real big year for me next year,” Terry remarked.
