It's Time For Chicago To Test Out Dalen Terry
The Chicago Bulls are seemingly going nowhere, having gone 11-17 over their first 28 games of the season, and looking like a team that might even struggle to reach 15 victories by the end of the calendar year.
The big reset button is glowing brighter and brighter for these Bulls, and it seems inevitable that they'll hit it at some point in the new year, unless they make a stunning turnaround, which seems.... optimistic.
Before they do, though, it might be time for Billy Donovan to test out rookie Dalen Terry. Donovan recently spoke at length about the first-year player, complimenting his energy, but outright saying he wasn't ready to play over more experienced players on the roster.
That criticism, in a vacuum, is entirely fair. Terry has little argument for receiving minutes at the cost of players such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, and Javonte Green.
In broader context however, Terry could offer something the current rotation has shown very little of in recent weeks: An overabundance of energy.
Terry, who asked to go down to the G-League to play for the Windy City Bulls, is a fireball who plays with wreckless abandon, and who projects as something NBA teams are opening their eyes towards more and more: A connector.
The multi-positional Terry, who can play virtually all three perimeter positions on the floor, isn't going to give you 20 points or a set amount of rebounds or assists every game. He blends into the fabric of the talent on the floor, providing areas of need in situations where those are needed.
At 6'7, Terry offers considerable size when handling the ball, even if he still needs to get significantly stronger and overall develop his physical frame. He's got a knack for finding guys cutting backdoor, and is coincidentally playing with LaVine, who over his past two years prior to this season, was one of the best cutters in the league.
Even if Donovan is right about Terry's inexperience, there's a theoretical fit staring right at him, which would be worth exploring, just a smidge. Sometimes young players have a tendency to surprise you when given a chance, and considering Terry has logged just 36 total minutes at the NBA level so far, it's fair to say he's yet to be given that chance.
In fact, of the players selected in the Top 20 in the 2022 NBA draft, Terry ranks second-lowest in regards to minutes played, trailing only Hornets center Mark Williams, who has received a pitiful 13 minutes.
This isn't to say Terry should receive 20 minutes per game, or receive a substantial amount of entitlement minutes. Clearly, he needs to ramp up on a step-by-step basis in order to earn more minutes on his own accord. But at the same time, he needs to start somewhere. That somewhere could be Donovan, prioritizing Terry during garbage minutes to at least allow him to absorb NBA minutes. Lord knows the Bulls have had plenty of games where the white flag has been raised in the final five minutes.
During G-League assignments, Terry has averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in just over 31 minutes per game, proving he's capable of more than his modest production at Arizona last year.
Needless to say, the leap from the G-League to the NBA is harder than the leap from NCAA to the G, and there are no guarantees that the 20-year-old is ready yet. But there is one way to find out, and that's by rolling the dice.
The Bulls are losing anyway, and going nowhere. Forking over just five minutes per game to a rookie in need of development, and giving him a chance to earn more, should be on the table.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
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