Windy City Bulls

Following his breakout moment scoring 15 points in five minutes with the Chicago Bulls against the Pelicans last Thursday, Adam Mokoka hopes to continue progressing his game with Windy City.

Adam Mokoka had what would seem like an unusual sophomore year in high school. Forget homecoming. He left home. But to play basketball, and then three years later at 17 started playing for one of the top men's professional basketball teams in France.

Maybe it was just too much trouble to get a date for the senior prom.

"My mother, she wasn't in agreement with that so much," Mokoka admitted. "But she let me go; it was my goal. My first three years it was more for fun, but then it was to be a professional.

"At 17 at first I was really happy just to be professional, just to play and be on a team and be on the court," Mokoka related. "Just to work hard and be better. But when I was on the national team (winning two U-16 and U-18 championships) and I see other players from other countries, I saw I could compete against them and they can be in the NBA. I feel I can be, too."

Mokoka signed a two-way G-league/NBA contract with the Bulls last summer, and Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans, Mokoka produced a late game five minutes of memory with 15 points and his first NBA basket, three of three on three pointers and six for six overall as the Bulls at least ended up closing the losing margin.

Chuck Swirsky interviews Adam Mokoka after Thursday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Then Friday, Mokoka was back to his real job, shooting guard for the Windy City Bulls as Windy City lost 107-97 to the Long Island Nets. Mokoka had 12 points and four rebounds Friday with two of five threes. He's averaging 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds this season for Windy City. Former Loyola player Milton Doyle led Windy City with 19 points.

Windy City is in the midst of a three-game home stand in four nights, Saturday hosting Grand Rapids and Monday against Maine. With a half dozen Bulls regulars injured, Mokoka likely will join the Bulls for the two-game road trip to Philadelphia and Washington and then head back to Hoffman Estates to close the G-league season through the end of March.

"It's cool; I like it," the physical 6-5, 195-pound guard says about his G-league experience. "We travel exactly the same as we did in Europe, so I am used to that. I have an apartment in Hoffman Estates. So I am just keeping my focus (with Windy City). And when I am with the Bulls it's the same, be aggressive on defense and on offense bring that energy. Put pressure on the defense and try to be aggressive on offense. I have been working on my shot a lot and when I have the shot to take it."

Adam Mokoka shoots the ball for the Windy City Bulls, the night following his 15 point performance against the Pelicans.

Mokoka showed the work against the Pelicans in a touching moment with his mother, Rosette, in the United Center for the first time to see her son play in the United States. Mokoka signaled to her after each three, though never taking his eye off the offense or hesitating on getting back on defense.

Mokoka as a player is somewhat similar to one time San Antonio Spurs defensive ace, Bruce Bowen, though a bit smaller at 6-5. Like Bowen, he's primarily in the game for defense and has a good catch and shoot three-point game. Though Mokoka is only shooting about 33 percent on threes for Windy City, he made at least four three pointers three times in games and had those three straight Thursday.

Zach LaVine even complimented Mokoka's shooting style.

"I always tell him you've got one of the prettiest shots in the world," LaVine said after the Pelicans loss. "If you see him shoot, his form and everything is perfect. I'm really happy for him and hopefully he gets some more time to be able to do that. Hopefully he gets some time when we're the team that's winning and it's not a blowout situation. He's been working his butt off and he brings it every day."

Adam Mokoka lays the ball in against the Pelicans last Thursday.

Which is why Mokoka loves the United States so much. It's where dreams have come true.

He was born and raised in Paris, playing soccer, of course, but quickly adapted to basketball when he was 11. "I'd be playing basketball on the side when they were playing soccer," he said. One of the reasons Europeans players have become so adept in the NBA is the early recruitment of top young players who then are schooled in fundamental play and are playing against veteran pros quickly.

At 14, Mokoka moved to northern France to play in the Gravelines-Dunkerque youth academy and then turned pro at 17. He spent five years there and then played a year in Serbia. "I was also going to school at 14, 15, 16, but then at 17 I had to make a choice. So I quit school and signed for basketball."

It's a time in life you have to be wary, so Mokoka also took it to his basketball game. He was always on the defensive.

"Defense always was my strength since I started," he said. "I was always a good defender and I try to keep getting better. Every coach giving me advice always says keep playing hard and playing defense and you will be a player to be on the court. So that is what I do."

He applied for the 2018 NBA draft, but took his name out and went to play in Serbia. He went into the draft in 2019 and wasn't drafted. The Bulls had seen him in Serbia and brought him to Summer League and the two-way contract with Thursday his first significant playing time for the Bulls. It was exciting as United Center fans even offered him a supportive "MVP" chant in his run of six straight baskets that included a Magic Johnson-like fake pass and finish for a layup.

"I was just happy to get there playing hard; I was able to get my first bucket. It was good," the 21-year-old Mokoka said. "I had some opportunities, so I just do my thing, try to play hard and get buckets. I was trying to help the team get back. I am happy to be here with those guys; it is cool to me. We have some trouble with injuries; next man up. If I am able to be on the court, I will be ready.

"Just trying to get better, to learn every day," Mokoka says. "Have some minutes with the (NBA) team and be good in the (G) league. It has been cool."

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Adam Mokoka's Unconventional Path to the NBA

Chicago Public School League star and Loyola standout Milton Doyle is fighting for his NBA dream on the Windy City Bulls, where he's averaging 18.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Milton Doyle is the story of the G-league, a kid good enough to dream about the NBA.

"I think I'm with on the cusp of the NBA," the Marshall High School and Loyola product said. "I feel I'm one foot in and one foot out. It's about finding a niche that will get a team to say they want me. I feel I've always had a chance, but there's always been one thing missing or one opportunity I need to help me stay in the league."

The G-league is the stuff of dreams, kids with one eye on the NBA and the other affixed to their circumstances, which is playing before crowds smaller than they did in high school and college, enduring circuitous travel routes with modest accommodations that might insult some AAU teams. But it's also as close to "the Show" as there is in the basketball world.

Most don't make it and scatter to basketball jobs overseas, or just jobs. But there are enough success stories like Chicago's Alfonzo McKinnie, who went from a self-paid tryout with Windy City to the Golden State Warriors and the NBA Finals. The big draft guys skip the NBA's developmental league, but perhaps half the players in the NBA have some G-league experience. Ryan Arcidiacono, undrafted like Doyle and considered a more unlikely pro prospect, spent two years in the G-league with a cameo overseas before signing a three-year contract with the Bulls.

Doyle got his NBA walk on with the Brooklyn Nets last season, 10 games in the fancy hotels, the charter aircraft, someone else to carry your bags and bring you socks. He became the first Loyola player in the NBA in some 30 years. Doyle, though, spent most of last season with the Nets G-league team where the lanky 6-4 guard averaged 20.5 points, five rebounds and 4.4 assists, one of the league's more versatile players.

No less an authority than Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is a fan.

"He's someone who fills up every column in the box score," Thomas says.

Which is why when Thomas had a sojourn as head coach of Florida International U., he recruited Doyle to help build his program. Doyle was the kind of tough and resourceful city kid Thomas liked. But with Doyle about to start, Thomas was let go after three years. So Doyle's journey took a detour.

It's a variation of the story of many G-league players, talented but undrafted, road blocked along the way and falling between the basketball cracks, like diving out of bounds for a loose ball. They'll put in as much effort, but don't always get quite the results. They are applauded for the effort, but end up deferring to someone else in the spotlight.

"I feel like I have the ability to come off the bench for a team and make plays whether it's scoring or playing defense, getting others involved," Doyle says. "A lot of teams don't have that type of guy to come off the bench with the second group, play with energy and make plays."

It's not about being a star anymore when you're in the G-league, though some who pass through get there. Like the Nets Spencer Dinwiddie. After getting cut by the Bulls, he played for Windy City without any affiliation. These days, G-league teams have two players committed to the NBA parent team. Everyone else can be signed by any NBA team. Dinwiddie played 28 games over three seasons in the G-league. This season he probably will be voted to the NBA All-Star game to be played in the United Center.

Which is one reason Doyle came back to Hoffman Estates and the Sears Centre this season from Spain, where he could earn more money. It's about the dream, about the NBA, and it's an exceptionally high level of basketball even without the accoutrements.

"It was 10 months in Europe," said Doyle. "That's a long time to be there. There's a short chance to get in the NBA. Once you stay overseas too long you fall off NBA teams' radar. I feel like I have another year or two for the G-league and Summer League to give this a chance."

It's all they ask, and Doyle has the skills.

He's one of the top players for Windy City, a multipurpose guard averaging 18.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds in about 36 minutes per game, second in most categories to D.J. Dozier, who is on assignment from the Nuggets. Doyle shoots a credible 34 percent on threes and 86 percent on free throws and is among the league leaders in steals. Plus, he's had some extraordinary efforts with a 35-point game that included nine threes, six threes in another for 27 points and double digits in assists twice. He's had games with five steals and eight rebounds and Friday with Cristiano Felicio and Chandler Hutchison on assignment from the Bulls, Doyle sought to rally the Bulls late. He led Windy City with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists and made five of eight threes in the Windy City loss to Wisconsin. Windy City hosts the Westchester team Saturday.

One issue for Doyle is that at 6-4 some teams see him as that infamous tweener, perhaps not adept enough as a point guard and not quite brawny enough for shooting guard.

"I've probably been held back some by my size as far as weight," says the wiry 180 pounder. "Most of the guys, the first thing NBA teams look at is your body and height and you have to have that NBA look. If you look like an NBA player, it gets you a step closer. My body type build makes NBA teams pause. I do try to eat a lot of pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before bed, but I play so many minutes it's hard to put on weight in season."

Doyle finds Daniel Gafford in a preseason game against Indiana.

Doyle's as American as they come, a rare Chicago Public School League star to enroll at Loyola, as roundabout a path as that might have been. He didn't play AAU and transferred from little known Tilden to Marshall. He was injured as a junior, but then made first team all-city and all-state as a senior. He committed to join Thomas in Miami.

"Isiah being a Hall of Fame point guard, a Chicago guy, I felt he could help get me to the next level," said Doyle. "He's been a mentor to a lot of guys. Playing for him would have been a great experience."

Doyle was released from his commitment and the big guys came calling. He enrolled at Kansas and played on an overseas preseason trip as a freshman. But Doyle said he began to realize as a late comer, Kansas wasn't right for him.

"It was a place with guys coming in to play right away and I didn't feel I was one of those guys at the time," Doyle admitted. "I needed somewhere to go and build, make mistakes and be able to grow and come back from them."

It was an unusually mature world view and Doyle enrolled at Loyola, whose once great basketball program had grown fallow. But the academics of the respected North Side university tripped up Doyle to start and he began to think of the rest of his life. Perhaps get down to some nine to five.

His mother, Lisa Green, has been a college basketball and volleyball player at Mississippi Valley State, and she knew her son had more to him. "She said, ‘What are you going to do, work at McDonalds or something like that?'" recalled Doyle. "No offense to McDonald's. She was telling me I had this opportunity not everyone does."

Doyle sat out and then began playing when Loyola left the Horizon for the Missouri Valley Conference. They went 24-13 his second season and he became the first Loyola player to be first team all-conference. He was the first Loyola player invited to the NBA pre-draft Portsmouth camp in a decade and ranked in the program's top 10 all-time in points and assists.

The stability that Doyle, 26, helped provide led to the famed Loyola 2018 NCAA tournament run the season after his graduation with a sociology degree. And the reunions continue as Doyle with 17 points and Bulls two-way player Adam Mokoka led Windy City Wednesday to a victory over the Greensboro Swarm and former teammate Donte Ingram.

"In today's game, there are a lot of analytics and stats to look at, but I feel like at the end of the game you look on the stat sheet and whether offense or defense I'll have something that stands out," Doyle says. "It's just about finding the right place and the right fit."

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Windy City standout and Chicago native Milton Doyle closing in on his NBA dream

Maybe close your eyes and day dream a little bit of Michael and Scottie and Horace dashing down court, diving into the paint and spraying the ball out to Pax or Hodgy. And then in your darkest nightmares you see Ewing and Mason and Oakley and X crashing the boards and knocking over pretty much anyone in their way, angry and anxious against slamming and stylish.

Those Bulls/Knicks playoff games of the early 1990s were some of the most intense and ferocious games of the era, a battle of wills and styles, about who can overcome whom. It wasn't so much the good versus evil we liked to portray, but the offspring of the Bulls/Pistons. Whether force could overcome finesse, whether physicality exceeded elegance.

The prize isn't as significant this week. But there will be some reminders Wednesday when the Windy City Bulls open their one-game NCAA tournament-like single elimination playoff series with the Westchester Knicks Wednesday in Westchester.

"It makes sense," Windy City coach Charlie Henry said about the style comparisons. "They are as unique as any team in the G-league. They play two bigs. They really throw the ball inside more than anyone else, really hunt their misses. It's very different than what you normally see in the G-league, which is usually a faster game, smaller guys. They pose a difficult challenge."

Windy City made the playoffs for the first time in their three seasons with their first winning season, 27-23. But they play on the road since Westchester had a better record. Though after running off one of the league's best stretches with 22 wins in 30 games, Windy City lost its last three games after clinching its first playoff spot.

But the ginger ale flowed in Hoffman Estates.

"We didn't play well last week," Henry acknowledged. "Obviously it's not how you want to enter the playoffs. It's either going to make us or break us. With us not having the week we wanted last week, we talked and I think our team is in a good place. Having been a part of single elimination before, there are times you come in with all the momentum and don't play well the first game and times you have some adversity and come out and play well. We're excited we get another crack at them after having just been there two weeks ago and having lost a tough game. Our guys are feeling good; we obviously understand it's win or go home. But at the same time we are trying to enjoy it. I think our guys are going to come out with really renewed energy and focus.'

The G-league plays two rounds of single elimination and the a three-game finals.

Windy City is led by Walt Lemon Jr., the point guard from Julian High School and Bradley U. who led a turnaround from a 5-12 start. He's an exciting player to watch with his penetration, averaging 20.9 points and second in the G-league with 8.4 assists per game. Windy City's lead scorer was their big man, JaKarr Sampson, who averaged 21.1 points and 9.2 rebounds. Though he is about 6-9.

Westchester features seven footers Stephen Zimmerman, who has played for Orlando, and Luke Kennard, who played for the Knicks this season. Henry also expects G-league "ringers" like Kadeem Allen since the game is in Westchester. He averaged almost 10 points in 15 games with the Knicks this season. Westchester also features former DePaul and Morgan Park player Billy Garrett Jr.

"They're going to try to slow the game down; their focus is inside on the glass," said Henry. "It's opposite of us. They are a team that wants to impose its will on you. They're one of the best defensive teams (second in defensive rating). Obviously, being a home game for them they can send some guys (to Westchester) who have not necessarily played with them the last couple of games.

"That second game we beat them in overtime at our place neither team broke 100," Henry noted. "The last time we played them (losing to fall to 1-2 but scoring 118 points), I thought we figured some stuff out. We came back, scored 72 in the second half. I thought we figured out some things we could do against a really good defensive team that gave us a lot of problems the first two times we played them.

"We've obviously got to find a way to get the ball to the paint, but obviously understanding they are going to swarm," said Henry. "It will be a matter if we are disciplined enough to do it."

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On Wednesday, the WC Bulls open their playoff series in Westchester

There's nothing like a pro basketball playoff drive coming down to the last games of the regular season. And if you want to view it in Chicago, it will have to be Friday in the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates for the Windy City Bulls.

The third year G-league franchise has been one of the best stories in the NBA feeder league this season, on a late season run in which they've won 21 of their last 29 games led by former Julian guard Walt Lemon Jr. and St. John's big man JaKarr Sampson, the latter who was with the Bulls in training camp.

After a rocky start in which they lost 12 of their first 17 games as two-way point guard Tyler Ulis from Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights was injured, Windy City acquired Lemon and took off.

In the last 15 games, they've been as good as any in the G-league, seventh in defensive rating and second in offense, second overall in net rating, second in assist ratio, first in assist to turnover ratio and first in true shooting percentage with an aggressive, unselfish game directed by Lemon and innovative coach Charlie Henry.

"We've been fortunate in the G-league context that we haven't had a lot of turnover since the first 15 games of the year," Henry said this week as the team prepares for Delaware Friday and a final home game March 23. "Early on we were transactional, trying to find some pieces. Once we got Walt, we've had a pretty consistent roster. Last year we were 23-22 and pretty close to the playoffs, but we didn't finish strong. This is as close as we've been."

The G-league has a 12-team playoff format, six from each conference. Each division winner qualifies. Windy City leads the Central Division by a game and a half at 26-20 after Tuesday's 130-127 overtime win. There also will be three "wild card" teams. Windy City currently is fifth overall in the conference with a two-game lead and the tiebreaker over seventh place with four games to play. The teams with the two best records get a first round bye. The others play single elimination and then a best-of-three finals.

"Making the playoffs for us would be a big step because it shows everyone you are on the right track on the business side. And going into next year when you are trying to attract players, it shows there's a certain competence here and a competitive product," said Henry. "It would be a great step in the right direction for us. We've played really well the last half. When Walt came we were 5-11 and we played Long Island his first game, who is No. 1 in our league. So we were sitting at 5-12 and from that point being 21-8 and really one of the top two or threes teams from that point on in net ratings is terrific. We've played well.

"Having Walt and JaKarr (Sampson), I feel they are two of the better players in the G-league," said Henry, who is in his second season with Windy City with a staff that includes former Bull Jannero Pargo. "We've also had other guys step up, Mike Mulder and C.J. Fair. They're both playing well and adding a (two-way) guy like Brandon Sampson when we lost Tyler Ulis and have brought Rawle (Alkins, also a two-way player) along. It's a nice team that plays hard, plays well and enjoys playing together."

Though there are unique challenges to the G-league, and not just the modest pay, travel and accommodations.

For example, there are the two-way players who split time between the NBA team, the Bulls, and the G-league team. Because they hold the supplementary NBA roster spots, they are the training priority players. So when they return to the G-league team they are featured.

"I'll say the other 10 guys have handed it really well," said Henry. "Take a guy like (Notre Dame's) V.J. Beachem, who has played well. He goes from starting to a bench role depending on Brandon's (Sampson) and Rawle's status. The teams that understand it's part of the deal and you have to deal with it, those are the teams that thrive. But it's also a challenge for those two-way players because you may go up seven to 10 days, not play a whole lot and then come back here and be featured and play heavy minutes. And often that first game they come back they won't play their best; it takes a game or so to get that rhythm again."

And there's the finances, which are limited in the G-league.

So JaKarr Sampson, who plays a small ball center for Windy City, spent a month in China this season. A team in China lost a player and had an opening at a substantial salary for a one-month deal. Only two-way players are tied to NBA teams. So the 6-9 Sampson from St. John's took off for China for the month, leaving Windy City without its lead scorer.

Sampson is averaging 21.3 points and 9.1 rebounds and fits the G-league profile of being that square peg that didn't get fitted in the appropriate round hole in the NBA. It would have been the career of Ben Wallace, who started in the NBA at small forward with the Washington Wizards. Then the Pistons made him a small ball center and he is a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

"Coming in the league now (after being undrafted in 2014), he would play at four or small ball five, a good switch defender with a high motor and ball handler who can drive the ball and finish with an improving three," said Henry about JaKarr Sampson.

So Windy City survived and thrived with the versatility and flexibility not unique in the G-league until their taller Sampson also returned.

"Defensively we've been good all year," said Henry. "We want to get teams reacting to us, aggressive in what we do impacting the ball and aggressive on switches. We want to be a team other teams don't want to play against and that starts defensively. Our pace numbers (20th) aren't the highest, but we don't give up easy baskets. Teams have to make two and three passes to score on us and offensively we want to push the pace. But we are looking to get great shots, shoot a lot of threes, share the ball and try to be tough defensively.

"The unique challenge is every guy who is here for the most part has aspirations of being somewhere else," Henry acknowledged. "Managing that side is rewarding, but it can be a challenge if guys aren't bought into the team concept. For a team to function, everyone kind of has to get out of themselves a little bit and into the team. That's not denying they have ambitions and want to move on. But our two best (non two-way) guys, Walt and JaKarr, they really have bought into being good leaders, showing the young guys the right way to work and approach to the job. Their approach to being a Windy City Bull has been really good."

Which Henry agrees has allowed the team's late season success, but also combines with the G-league growth and development as a person.

"Something we talk about is growth in this league for myself, for our assistants, for our players," says Henry, who was a Fred Hoiberg assistant at Iowa State. "I often tell our guys no one in our group is going to retire a Windy City Bull. We're all going to move onto different things, other places. We talk about it openly, that your habits you develop here you are going to take with you. A lot of times you fall into the thing where you think your environment is holding you back. In reality it's you who creates your own environment and you bring your habits with you."

"Every team no matter the level has its challenges, and everyone has their days where they get sick of practice and sick of their teammates," Henry says. "It's the approach, the way you look at everything. We challenge them every day to keep a positive approach regardless of circumstances and to keep developing habits and when your best players are bought in, it's easy for everyone else to follow suit. You try to keep a positive approach and stay optimistic and then just have to get one team to like you and give you a chance."

Getting up on stage for the playoffs, no matter how limited, is another step. It's trending up for Windy City.

Walt Lemon Jr. has a problem. The Windy City Bulls point guard may be too good for the NBA. Well, at least some of those NBA teams whose priorities vary this time of the year.

"The nature of the league these days is it's tough for guys like Walt and JaKarr (Sampson)," says Windy City coach Charlie Henry. "Some of the teams they can help. But I'm not sure they are necessarily looking for help at this point in the season."

It's a delicate way of expressing the painful reality that late in the season many NBA teams are playing primarily for draft lottery position.

"That's a challenge for them and the playoff teams are probably looking for more established guys," Henry added. "Then you are trying to bring along a 19, 20 or 21-year-old you drafted, and he probably beats that guy out."

Which sometimes can be the paradox of life in the G-league, especially for someone like Lemon.

"I do feel I am better than (many of the) guards in the NBA," Lemon says without rancor or bitterness. "It's about someone taking a chance and giving me a look."

It's the refrain of many in minor league sports everywhere; just one look.

But it really seems to be the dilemma for the 26-year-old, 6-3 guard from Julian High School and Bradley U. who has developed into a premier attacking point guard.

Lemon is second in the G-league in assists, averaging 21 points overall after starting the season with the Boston Celtics G-league team in Maine. He's about a 30 percent three-point shooter, but is a good mid range shooter with an attacking game that has enabled teammates' shooting percentages to rise.

"If you put the ball in Walt's hands, he'll make plays for you," says Henry of the slick left hander. "His ability to get downhill is unique. Walt really has been a late bloomer. He was a defensive guy at Bradley, not a point. He went overseas (after not being drafted in 2014) and has developed by leaps and bounds. If an NBA team needs a backup point, you can put the ball in his hands and he'll get downhill and make plays, run pick and roll. He creates a ton of threes. He probably should take more, but it's how many he creates with his ability to get downhill. I know he's one of the tougher guards to prepare against. We didn't beat him once last year. To me, he's the best guard in the league."

Nice to hear, but at 26 it becomes something of a crossroads for a player like Lemon.

Lemon is easily skilled enough to be in the NBA. But there haven't been quite as many 10-day contracts lately amidst the lottery priority. Others have turned briefly to veterans, like Isaiah Canaan, Corey Brewer and John Jenkins. So Lemon keeps Windy City on the run with some of the niftiest playmaking in the league.

It's both a point of pride and some frustration for a player with NBA skills.

It looked like Lemon might get a chance this season after signing a two-way contract with the Celtics following stints in Turkey, Hungary, Germany and Greece and last year in Ft. Wayne of the G-league. Coming into this season, the SB Nation website rated him the No. 2 player in the G-league. He was averaging almost 24 points for Maine—still their leading scorer this season—when he had a falling out with the coach, which was unprecedented for him over years in the G-league and overseas. He fears it stained him with some NBA teams, though it seemed simple personality and philosophy.

Lemon got some revenge Wednesday in Windy City's overtime win over Maine with 29 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and what seemed like the game winning shot in regulation with .04 before an unlikely tie forced Lemon to make the deciding jumper in overtime.

Ft. Wayne quickly resigned him after he was released by Maine after 10 games, and then Windy City traded for him after losing Ulis.

"It's been a good experience for me here," Lemon said before practice earlier this week. "Coach gave me another opportunity to show I'm a valuable piece and not what my last situation perceived me to be. I'm grateful for that and humbled by it. Windy City has allowed me to come in and play my game right away, help the team pick up some momentum from the rocky start they were having."

Lemon earned his way up to third team all-state as a Julian senior and played four years at Bradley, where he got his degree as a top honor roll student and community volunteer. But most NBA teams tend to dismiss seniors in the quest for potential breakthrough stars. And you eventually have to go to work.

"All my life, I felt I was under the radar," said Lemon. "In college, I was kind of forced into the point guard position because we didn't have a point guard. I'll admit I didn't really know about being a point guard. So I had a lot of turnovers. I didn't really know how to set up an opponent and be a distributor. I thought too much as a scorer (No. 7 all-time Bradley scorer). I had to change my thinking. By having the ball in my hands, I'll get attention and that gives my guys more space to get open and score as the point guard I've become.

"This year has been big for me to show that I'm not just a scorer, but someone who can use the keys if you give the keys to the team and be a leader on the floor," says Lemon. "Part of this year has been a battle about getting a chance after what some heard about me. It's crazy because I've never had that with all the coaches and teammates and places. But one place cannot define you. You wonder if it's part of the reason some teams won't take a chance, but there always are other reasons. I leave everything in God's hands and continue to do what I am doing and continue to work hard. But I'm glad it did happen because it helped me grow and learn to handle that kind of situation."

Lemon's coach and teammates attest to his devotion and talent, but he also knows time is running out when you reach your mid-20s in basketball.

"It is difficult," Lemon admits. "You see others getting calls, guys you played against and destroyed. I wouldn't be human if I said I didn't get frustrated from time to time. But you learn to control what you can control. I honestly don't know (what comes next). My focus is on this team and leading this team to a deep playoff push. I just know I have to keep working on my game and for my team."

how-the-windy-city-bulls-positioned-themselves-for-the-playoffs

How the Windy City Bulls positioned themselves for the playoffs

Chicago’s got a streaking, sports team winner, and it’s not quite apples and oranges.

Actually it’s a Lemon. One that’s been pretty sweet for the Windy City Bulls.

"Since we added Walt Lemon it’s made all the difference,” said Windy City Bulls coach Charlie Henry. "We were 5-11 when we added him. We had one practice and lost the first game and since then we haven’t lost, eight straight wins. He’s been a huge part of what we are doing. He makes the game easier for everyone else the way he can get downhill, make plays for everyone, helping guys by being able to play off him.

"We needed him badly and he was able to come home and play in front of his friends and family. Win, win,” said Henry.

And, yes, pretty much all the Windy City Bulls have done since is win. Plus playing a high energy, appealing offensive style game behind the leadership of the 6-3 point guard from far South Side Percy Julian High School and Bradley U.

"It’s been about playing together, unselfish basketball and that has to start with me,” said Lemon. "I can score, but I’ve worked to become a better distributor and with my speed and athleticism, it’s enabled guys to get the better shots we need. We’re playing together. Nobody worries about stats. It’s about the team. We pass up good shots for great shots and play defense; it’s a fun type of basketball. It’s contagious when you see how successful playing together can be. It’s about playing together, being unselfish and helping one another.”

The Windy City Bulls are looking for that to continue Friday and Saturday in the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates. Windy City hosts Wisconsin 7 p.m. Friday and Greensboro 7 p.m. Saturday, the latter which is a deaf awareness night.

Lemon is looking to create his own awareness, as everyone is who plays in the G-league.

Lemon is continuing to make his point—and points in leading the team in scoring, assists and steals—in an effort to get back to the NBA after a pair of 10-day contracts last season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

"It looked like they were going to re-sign me for the playoffs, but they went with more experience. It’s a business; I understand,” said Lemon. "But I didn’t want to go back overseas. I feel sometimes when you do, it’s out of sight, out of mind. So I feel if I stay here with a fresh run, teams can see who I am and what I can do, that I will get an opportunity with another team.”

Lemon is not one of the Bulls pair of two-way G-league players — they are Rawle Alkins and Brandon Sampson — so Lemon is eligible to sign with any NBA team. He is a left hander reminiscent of a player like Memphis’ Mike Conley, though not as good a shooter. Lemon was one of two Windy City players along with C.J. Fair to be selected all-tournament in the G-league Showcase last month in Las Vegas, the NBA scouting tournament for the G-league.

It’s been part of Lemon’s sometime sour winding road in the almost there world of professional basketball.

"Walt’s very athletic, quick, gets the ball into the paint effortlessly,” said Henry. "His shooting is an area to improve, but he is competitive and tough. He grew up admiring D-Rose’s game, and you can see some similarities with his body, playing downhill and playing through contact. He opens things up with the pressure he puts on the defense.”

Lemon is leading Windy City at 19 points per game and 8.8 assists per game, though 21.4 points per game overall since he previously played for Ft. Wayne. Windy City traded for his rights after Tyler Ulis was injured and eventually released.

"We’ve talked about the importance of good point guard play,” said Henry. "Rawle and Brandon are good players, but not point guards. So they need someone to run the position and make plays and help them do their jobs. We thought we had that with Tyler Ulis, but we lost him early after four games.”

Lemon had been on a two-way contract this season with the Boston Celtics, again so close he could almost reach out and touch the NBA life. But with an excess of guards, the Celtics let him go and Lemon returned to the G-league, where he has been a dominant player.

After leaving Julian, Lemon played four years at Bradley. After a shaky start not playing for former coach Jim Les, he went on to average 18 points as a senior, a slam dunk champion and a top scholar athlete and who graduated with a degree in psychology. He was a three-time member of Bradley’s athletic honor roll.

Lemon also was active in the Peoria community volunteering at hospital hospice centers and working with children who have lost parents or relatives to disease. His father, Walt Lemon, Sr., died of kidney cancer when Walt Jr was in high school.

Lemon, 26, wasn’t drafted in 2014 and went to play first in Hungary and then Germany. He returned to U.S. to the G-league with Ft. Wayne, and then played for top teams in Greece and Turkey. He came back to the G-league last season and was among the top scorers before the 10-day contracts with New Orleans. He went to Summer League with New Orleans and then caught the eye of the Celtics before eventually landing with Windy City.

His addition after Windy City stumbled when Ulis was hurt has enhanced an entertaining team playing a fast paced, wide open game with six players averaging in double figures. It’s a smaller team with big men shooting threes and switching on defense in a versatile game orchestrated by Lemon.

"Going out of the country for the first time was tough,” Lemon acknowledged. "Nobody spoke English. I didn’t know anything about the food, culture; it was a different style of game, different rules. But once I got familiar with it, things were a whole lot easier and it helped me a lot to learn to be professional, take care of my body, lifting weights and practicing, having the right habits.

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Walter Lemon Jr. looks to make a difference with the Windy City Bulls

Ryan Arcidiacono has this annoying little flaw. He often doesn’t get out of the way when you think he’s supposed to, like Saturday in the United Center, when the Cleveland Cavaliers with 13 seconds left in the game lined up a play to go at Arcidiacono for a win. Arcidiacono forced rookie Collin Sexton into a miss and Jabari Parker followed up with a block on Sexton’s second effort to insure the Bulls  99-98 victory.

“I love all my teammates, especially Archie,” said Parker. “He plays hard, and that’s the person I aspire to be. I look up to him a lot.”

Arcidiacono also was supposed to get out of the way two years ago when no NBA team chose to select him in the 2016 draft, when he was waived in training camp by the San Antonio Spurs and spent the season in the G-league. And then when he tried to go play in Italy the deal fell through and he ended up with the Windy City Bulls. An NBA player? Nice kid, tries hard, but, really? This is the NBA.

Well, Arcidiacono not only got there with the Bulls this season, but Saturday the 6-2 point guard started his first NBA game, set a career high with 15 points making three of four three pointers and had as big an impact on the game as any of his teammates, recording a team best plus/minus game rating.

“Ryan was awesome,” agreed Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. “He was the best plus/minus guy we had, a plus-11. And he shot it well. He’s playing with a ton of confidence right now. He’s our best talker out there on the floor right now with Bobby (Portis) on the bench. He was really good all across the board.”

Arcidiacono’s development and improvement, as unlikely as it’s seemed, is one of the feel good stories of the NBA and another encouraging G-league narrative, that if you commit yourself to compete and improve, even you can be an NBA player. Well, not quite everyone. But no one thought Chicagoan Alfonzo McKinnie was an NBA player. But with stints at Windy City and the Toronto G-league franchise, McKinnie is now a vital player in the rotation of the champion Golden State Warriors. Most believed when Arcidiacono made that game winning pass to Kris Jenkins for Villanova’s 2016 NCAA championship, the hard working little guard was going to have some great stories to tell his insurance clients.

Look, nice story, but let’s get serious. It’s the league of LeBron and KD and, OK, Steph, but did you see how he shoots?

Arcidiacono had herniated disc surgery in high school and finally made second team all-East as a senior. Second team? He never averaged more than 12.5 points in college and not double figures in Summer League. Summer League? C’mon kid, you almost could hear the NBA guys saying, you’re in the way.

Which is perhaps the best thing about Ryan Arcidiacono. He doesn’t accept assumptions or defeat. So he fell in love with Hoffman Estates.

“I embraced it fully,” Arcidiacono says about his time with the Windy City Bulls. “It’s an opportunity to be seen by a lot of teams. I knew I was spending most of my time there, so I wanted to see if I could keep improving my game and just try to contribute when I was up here. But at the end of the day, I thought, ‘You are just playing basketball for a living. So why not make the most out of it.’”

It’s not the attitude of some G-league players who resent the circumstances. But the G-league is becoming a vital feeder for the NBA, and Arcidiacono is one of the prime examples.

“You definitely have your fair share of guys who think that (they shouldn’t be there),” Arcidiacono agreed. “But it’s more about embracing it and making the most of it. Because if you have one foot out of the door while you are there you’re not going to get what you can out of it and improve.

“I liked it a lot,” said Arcidiacono, who is now 24. “I got my foot in the door with an NBA team. I think the league itself is a good transition from college to the NBA and a professional life-style. It definitely fit me. Charlie (Henry, coach) worked on my shooting a ton with (assistant) Jannero Pargo. I was with Fred all summer, coach Nate (Loenser). They really tried to emphasize things in my shot, to shoot with confidence and put me in situations to be successful. They helped me extend my range and have that solid base. I really learned.

“I couldn’t really envision this from a year ago,” Arcidiacono admitted. “I feel I’m a confident person and I felt I could play in this league. So I’ve been chipping away at it. A player like me—I don’t want to beat on myself about the athleticism I don’t have—but it’s probably a little bit tougher (to make the NBA). So you grind away and take it day by day and just try to find the little things you can do to help a team in a game, in practice, trying to help in any way you can.

“I never took it as ‘No one wants me,’” Arcidiacono said. “I just tried to get better. From where I was last year, it shows anything can happen. So stick to it and try to make the most out of it and not give up on that NBA dream. If someone like me can make it here and have an impact, it shows you can be a leader without playing a lot, that you can help a team without playing a lot, which I felt I did last year and this year and this summer, and you gain respect. Whether you are playing a lot or a little, you can still be the most vocal and the hardest worker.

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Why Ryan Arcidiacono never gets out of the way

They're not technically competing against one another, but it remains a competition, nonetheless. Not necessarily for Kris Dunn's starting point guard position, though Dunn clearly has work to do once he returns from injury. But the Bulls' backup point role remains unclear even as Cameron Payne and Ryan Arcidiacono have occupied it of late. Before long, recently signed Shaquille Harrison likely will get an extended look along with two-way roster player Tyler Ulis.

They all have something going for them, Payne as a late lottery draft pick with an unconventional left handed style, Arcidiacono with his Villanova collegiate success and improved shooting and Harrison with his defensive potential. Ulis understands. He just has to do more. He's always had to. And he has. It's been his life story, and it continues 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates for the Windy City Bulls against the Grand Rapids Drive.

Windy City is 1-1 with an opening home win over Lakeland and a loss to Grand Rapids Saturday. Ulis led the team in scoring both games as the primary offensive threat and playmaker.

As one of the smallest players in the league of the tallest players, Ulis has lived a life of striving to be taken seriously every day. Not that he hasn't been in becoming a basketball prodigy as a McDonald's all-American, invited to the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic and the most unlikely defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference while at Kentucky.

"It means you can't take days off, can't take any plays off. You have to basically play harder than anybody. You have to play through injuries; do things other guys who are gifted in different ways would not have to do. Seven footers get drafted based on their size. Guys like me and Isaiah (Thomas), guys like that are drafted off what we produce, what we've done on the court day in and day out.

"It's not many guys like us," Ulis added. "I feel we can relate to more people in the world and what they have to go through because we are small in the NBA playing a big man's sport. I feel for people who try to look down on us as players because we have to be doing something right to make it to this level. Our skill set says something. That keeps my confidence high and keeps me driving, and I love to play the game."

Ulis played in high school at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights and already is demonstrating he likely may be too good for the G-league. In two games, he is averaging 24 points along with 22 free throws made in 24 attempts. He hasn't shot well as he works more on three-point shooting, but is adept at breaking down defenses and a flash on the court.

His rugged defensive presence—it's not easy to keep him from going over a screen—makes him a unique player.

"He's very cerebral in a basketball sense," says Windy City coach Charlie Henry. "He has a high basketball IQ. He's been a setup guy throughout his career, running the offense, setting up teammates, very crafty. He's shown that with us getting fouled, generating free throw attempts. We are trying to add to his game his three-point shooting. He's got great defensive instincts and is competitive. You play as high a level as he has at his size…teams have tried to exploit him, and he takes on the challenge. He obviously doesn't like it, but he battles down there, shows competitiveness and that high basketball IQ that allows him to get the job done."

With Thomas hurt, there probably isn't a guard listed under six feet playing in the NBA. Several are likely under six feet, but insist on being listed at six feet, like D.J. Augustin, J.J. Barea, Isaiah Canaan, Chris Paul, Patty Mills and Kyle Lowry. Thomas doesn't back away from the hoop stigma, which might make him the kind of player you want on your side.

"I've always looked up to Allen Iverson," Ulis says. "I feel he paved the way for all of us guys under six foot. Like they say, if he were 6-5 he probably would have been the greatest player to come through the NBA. He left it out there, played through injuries. He did it his way and I feel that says a lot. That's a goal in my eyes of who I need to be, want to be."

Ulis went from mostly ignored at Marian Catholic by recruiters to celebrated as first team all-state and top three Mr. Basketball. He was SEC player of the year as a sophomore playing for the McDonald's game of programs at Kentucky and a Phoenix Suns regular at age 20 after being drafted in the second round in 2016.

After playing 61 games for the Suns in 2016-17 and 71 games with 43 starts last season with a game of 14 points and seven assists against the Bulls, he was surprisingly released before the season started. The Bulls signed him to a two-way contract that gives him up to 45 days with the Bulls for now.

There's Dunn and three other backup point guards, but Ulis has overcome these sorts of odds before.

"I'm just trying to help this (Windy City) team win and trying to prove I can play at the next level," Ulis said. "Play hard and try to win games with this team until my name gets called."

"I feel like I'm still an elite player," Ulis said. "This is just my first couple of months out of the NBA, so I'm not feeling bad. I left college early; it's a journey. Things didn't work out in Phoenix. It happens when you don't win a lot of games. Anything can happen in the NBA. I'm here now, back home. I have confidence in my game and have shown it at that level. I'm here now to keep it going."

Tyler Ulis never stops. Which also is a good thing for a point guard.

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How is Tyler Ulis looking to make an impact for the Windy City Bulls?

Rawle Alkins was walking down a street in Hollywood last summer when he was stopped and asked for an autograph. He swelled with some pride. The U. of Arizona product hadn’t been drafted, but he played Summer League for the Toronto Raptors and had done well, finishing with a 25-point game. “I’m thinking he knows I play basketball,” Alkins said.

“So I write my name, ‘Rawle Alkins,’ and the guy looks at it,” Alkins adds with a smile, “and he says, “‘You’re not Daniel Kaluuya?’

“I started to laugh,” Alkins recalled. “People say I look like him, the guy from the ‘Get Out’ movie. In L.A., they think everyone is someone.”

Alkins is confident he’ll be one of those someones in the NBA soon, and his professional journey begins Friday at the home opener for the Windy City Bulls 7 p.m. in the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates against the Lakeland Magic.

Alkins is one of two so called two-way players attached to Windy City from the Bulls. The other is Marian Catholic High School point guard Tyler Ulis, who played much of the last two seasons with the Phoenix Suns. With the contracts, they can spend 45 days with the Bulls, and likely will be in the lineup at times. Last year, Antonio Blakeney and Ryan Arcidiacono were two-way players fro Windy City who now are on the Bulls regular roster and playing prominent roles with several players injured. It’s continuing the G-league growth that mirrors the baseball minor leagues where prospects come through the suburbs to the NBA.

Unlike baseball, they usually are not the top draft picks. But many first rounders do spend considerable time in the G-league and advance to the NBA. Alkins, a former teammate of Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen, is confident after going undrafted he’ll be among those taking that next step.

“It was a minor setback,” said the physical 225-pound guard who has been likened to fellow Brooklynite Lance Stephenson for his rugged play, if not a similar personality. “I don’t look at it as a failure. I’m still on an NBA roster. It’s not the ideal of where I want to be, but I feel like I’m blessed to even me here, to have the opportunity. Not a lot of people can say they play for the Chicago Bulls, the Windy City Bulls, and they have an opportunity.  I am thankful for them giving me the opportunity to play for the team, to learn and show them. There’s a lot of basketball left for me.”

And the Bulls could likely use a dose of what Alkins brings.

The 6-4 shooting guard is thickly built and powerful, a defensive oriented player whose three-point shot is much improved. He’s become that favorite 3 and D type player after leading his celebrated high school to three state titles. He fell off the NBA draft board because of a broken foot that kept him out part of his second year at the U. of Arizona. So despite good play at the Chicago Draft Combine, he fell back. He’s also a bit below the preferred height for a shooting guard without a great dribble.

In some respects his profile as an undersized, athletic shooting guard matches that of Donovan Mitchell. Now Alkins needs those 15 to 20 shots per game to find out. He’ll likely get them or close with Windy City as he hopes to also show the defensive prowess that will appeal to the Bulls after being one of the nation’s top high school players.

“I was an all around player,” said Alkins. “I always felt my gift was versatility. I even played some five in high school. But in college my freshman year that’s when Coach (Sean) Miller said he wanted me to be a defender, to focus on shutting down guys, playing great defense, hitting the open shot. That was the first time I was introduced to a role like that.

“It was a great talk and something I needed,” Alkins admits. "He told me to embrace my role, be a defender and worry about stops. Then offense will come after you play great defense. Great defense leads to great offense. Sure enough, I was starting and playing a lot more minutes and my sophomore year. I grew into a guy being able to score and get plays run for me."

Alkins averaged 13 points on 36 percent three-point shooting his second season and believes he can ride a hard working, hard playing role into a development like that of former Bull Jimmy Butler, a college role player and low draft pick who moved on to All-Star status.

“Most teams have that same situation where guys have roles and you have to be a star in your role,” said Alkins. “The Chicago Bulls have a lot of scorers. Everybody in the NBA can score the basketball. It’s what separates you that matters. You do whatever it takes to stay on the court. Once you are on the court you can show how you can contribute. I’ll use my coach’s advice about the defensive end, try to take that and show my ability to defend with the Windy City Bulls, play the all around game, be unselfish, be a teammate and let the rest speak for itself.”

Alkins was invited to training camp with the Raptors. But he said Markkanen reached out to him promoting the opportunities with the Bulls. And then it would be up to Alkins.

“People mention Lance with my name,” says the 21-year-old Alkins. “I do love his intensity. I feel he has a lot of heart. There are a lot of good players missing what he has, that competitive nature. A lot of skilled players if they were as competitive and tough as he is that would separate them and put them to another level. I feel that’s something you can’t teach. You can teach a player to dribble and shoot, you can improve skills. But the coach can’t teach you to be tough. He has what a lot of guys in the NBA need and it’s what I feel I bring. I feel I play with passion and a lot of energy and that’s what you’ll see when you come to a Windy City game."

“The three-point shot is huge in NBA, like a layup,” Alkins noted.  “My three-point shot got way better. And now I’m not in school anymore. All my focus can be on basketball, working out every day all day. This all I have to do, play the game I love.”

Get out! No way. Rawle Alkins says he’s all in.

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Rawle Alkins is ready to do whatever it takes

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