Dalen Terry didn’t miss the bus, and he was at the right class. He didn’t forget his sneakers for the gym and was up in plenty of time, DeMar DeRozan’s summer 5 a.m. workouts producing a good, if annoying, habit. He did end up in the first row, the Bulls highest draft pick prominent on the opposing scouting report. And they pronounced his name right.
Which all should have made for a good first day of school, the Bulls opening Summer League game Friday that was an 83-74 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
But Terry may be looking forward to Day 2 Saturday when the Bulls (6 p.m. CT) play the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I feel like we were a little fast at the beginning and then we slowed down and tempo-ed the game and ended up getting the dub (win),” said Terry, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting, one of four on threes with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. “I came out and didn’t want to do too much, which is why I turned the ball over early. But after I slowed down, I made the right reads. Obviously, I didn’t shoot it the best; I didn’t score it the best. But when it came to a leadership standpoint, being a point guard on the team, getting everyone involved, I get an A-plus. Obviously, I could have played better. But it was all about the win.”
So it is in sports. You play to win the game and such.
But for the Bulls, and especially Terry, this Summer League is his first real opportunity to demonstrate his worth as a 2022 first-round draft pick and whether he can win a spot in the Bulls regular rotation. It was an uneven debut Friday, though Terry with a steal on a lob attempt played excellent defense on Raptors lottery pick Gradey Dick, who was three of 12. Terry’s hustle and disruptive play in the lanes was impressive.
“His energy and how he gets into the paint is unmatched,” said Bulls Summer coach John Bryant.
Terry started and played most of the first half as the de facto point guard, and was frequently directing and clarifying for teammates in timeouts and huddles.
“I feel like I was the leader of the team,” said Terry. “Getting the guys involved, making sure everyone gets better, lead the team. And show why I should be on the court.”
That last part needs some work as Terry remained uncertain and hesitant with his shot and had difficulty finishing at the rim. He made some nice passes off penetration, but struggled in pick and roll actions. The Bulls used more traditional point guards, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Brazilian Yago Dos Santos, in the second half with Terry more off the ball.
“It’s all growth,” said Terry. “I’ve had these mistakes before, but I feel like just slowing down a littler bit (helped). Knowing I’m the marquee player on their scouting report, I’ve got to know they are coming. When I come off screens they are up on the screen, putting their hands up, active. So I have to know my spots, when to score, when to be a guard, when to be a leader. They (Bulls) want me to play with the ball. Coach JB (John Bryant) says he wants to put the ball in my hands and he said go. So me and Freeman and Yago took turns and we all make reads. It’s just basketball. You make reads everywhere. I am a guy who can play one, two, three. Wherever I am on the floor, I am making the read there.”
Though still tripping over some words, which can happen that first day.
The Bulls were led by Canadian Nate Darling with a sweet 15 points. He has been among the leading scorers in the G-league. DePaul’s Freeman-Liberty settled down the offense and had 12 points and Windy City veteran Henri Drell had 10 points off the bench.
“Nate Darling had a hell of a game,” commended Terry. “Hit a lot of open shots and getting out running; Henri Drell (too). Those two guys I feel are the unsung heroes hitting shots early and throughout the game to lead us offensively with other guys not having the best offensive games.”
The Bulls did get nice production from center Jontay Porter with Nuggets champion and brother Michael Jr. courtside to watch. Porter had eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks and added a three. His plus-17 led the team followed by Drell at plus-15.
Also courtside were Bulls players DeRozan. Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso to watch for potential future teammates. Two-way player Carlik Jones also was in attendance with a sprained wrist, but he said he’s looking forward to an opportunity in training camp.
Undrafted UConn star Adama Sonogo started and struggled with the speed of the game. He had five points and was in for most of the grinding start that had the summer Bulls behind 16-7 at the first timeout.
“Our bench came in after the slow start and was awesome,” commended Bryant, who is reveling in the coaching assignment.
He held off starting his post game media talk so his wife could come and watch him be interviewed (he did well; she was smiling).
Second-round draft pick Julian Phillips didn’t play because he hasn’t signed a contract yet. Terry began the game wearing a mask from what he said was a broken nose he sustained in practice Wednesday. But he removed it in the first quarter because he said it bothered his peripheral vision.
Undrafted 2022 Marquette hopeful Justin Lewis, the 6-7 245-pound forward, had seven points and seven rebounds, which was impressive with some aggressive moves into the lane despite the ACL surgery from last summer. Drell demonstrated excellent transition play and activity on the boards, though Darling looked closest to an NBA prospect with his shooting. He made three of seven threes with a quick release.
“Nate finds his spots and has an understanding of the game,” said Bryant. “He can stay in the corner and knock down a catch-and-shoot jump shot, but he also moved well without the ball. It’s helpful he’s played professionally before.”
Despite being smaller, the Bulls out rebounded Toronto and had 22 assists with the diminutive Dos Santos leading with five in 19 minutes. But after firing up a dozen threes in the first quarter as the summer campers seemed directed toward pushing the ball in transition and shooting threes—which the varsity Bulls want to improve upon next season—the summer subs settled for 10 of 29 overall on threes. That factored to 34.5 percent in the defensive game in which both teams shot below 40 percent overall.
But, hey, the fans were mostly coming to see Wembanyama in the main gym next to the Cox Pavillion where the Bulls played.
(I did get over there, also, and while Wembanyama has unusual skills and fluidity for his size, the rookie of the year race remains wide open. Wembanyama is going to be more a defensive nuisance to start, so watch out for the Spurs in the high lottery again)
That’s not where the Bulls will be. Though they do have their No. 1 draft pick again next June.
The Bulls seem convinced one more look with basically the current group in a much more wide open NBA—hey, maybe win the mid season tournament title in December?—will produce enhanced results. Which is why so much attention is being directed toward Terry this summer. The 6-7 swingman is an Energizer bunny type with a 7-1 wingspan and hopes for two-way production.
But a player in this era’s high scoring NBA has to earn his minutes with more than defensive energy, which is the hope for Terry, who doesn’t turn 21 until next week.
He’s getting the Summer League crash course as the highest ranking Bulls player on the roster. So the Bulls put the ball in his hands to start the game. Sort of let’s see what you’ve got, kid.
It was somewhat erratic to begin with given that deficit and the Bulls being outworked. Though the Bulls recovered to a 21-21 tie after one quarter and led 44-36 at halftime after a 9-0 close to the half. That run included three close in scores from the physical Lewis, Terry with the steal on the attempted lob and a slick long Terry pass for a Darling (of a) layup.
Terry made his only three early in the third quarter for a 10-point Bulls lead. And the Bulls kept the lead much of the rest of the game. Which was less important than what Terry puts into the game.
“To grow you have to do things you don’t normally do in the season, and the only way to do that is in live games,” said Bryant. “Overall, we can be better with our decision making; everyone across the board. I will say this, everyone who played scored and that to me says something about the connectivity of our group. For Dalen, Summer League is a great opportunity. Yes, he’s going to have the ball in his hands.
“It’s about growing,” Bryant reiterated. "Can he grow from this game to the next and next? The only thing I’ve talked with him about is… when he has the ball he has to get us organized. He’s got to continue to slow down and understand his job. He’ll be much better and keep growing as the week continues. He brought the effort. He was our leader on the floor and he’ll continue to grow and be better as the summer goes on.”
So you put that first uncertain day behind you, move on and hope you can eat instead of being had for lunch.
“I feel like as a team we played great,” said Terry. “To start, they punched us in the mouth a little bit. But my biggest thing was to tell the guys this is a team that is active, plays defense and gets a lot of steals; make sure we punch back. For me, put everything to the test I’ve been working on all summer, and win.”
So far one out of two, but class continues and the bell hasn’t sounded yet.
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