Rookie Terry shows why Bulls would be smart to start focusing on future
Dalen Terry made a case for the Bulls keeping their eye on the future - not the play-in tournament - during the final 23 games of the regular season.
It was because of what Terry did, not anything he said.
With DeMar DeRozan and others shelved by injuries, the rookie from Arizona knew he'd get his first chance all season to play significant minutes in the two games before the all-star break.
Terry delivered a dud in Indiana on Wednesday, but came back with an interesting performance a night later against Milwaukee. He finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal. There were 5 offensive rebounds as he put a heavy emphasis on keeping possessions alive.
"I just feel like it gives me an opportunity to prove to everybody why I should be out there," Terry said. "I'm just trying to be a guy that does the things that everybody doesn't want to do."
Keep in mind, the Indiana game was the first time Terry played as many as 10 minutes in an NBA game. It didn't go great, but the next night, he grabbed 5 offensive boards, something Patrick Williams has done just once in his three seasons.
So while you could watch the Indiana game and think, "This is why Terry doesn't play." Another chance brought some nice improvement.
"I'm a competitor, obviously I was hot," Terry said of the Indiana game. "Two air balls when I've been working on my (3-point) shot the whole year, obviously that's the narrative that everybody says I can't do.
"That stung me a little bit, but you've got to have a next-game type of mentality. I knew we had a big game (Thursday) and I knew I was going to be a big key in it, so just got to leave that in the past and learn from it."
With the Bulls season starting to qualify as a lost cause, it would make sense to find a way to keep Terry in the rotation. It doesn't look like Lonzo Ball will return from knee surgery before the season ends and Russell Westbrook buzz has quieted down.
The fact that the Bulls can keep their 2023 first-round draft pick if it ends up in the top four seems to carry more weight now than the slim chance of making the playoffs as a low seed.
Coach Billy Donovan was asked Thursday what happens to the playing rotation when DeRozan, Derrick Jones Jr., Goran Dragic and possibly Javonte Green return from injuries.
"I've got to see just what we look like health-wise," Donovan said. "With our roster and the way it's set up, somebody's going to have to sit. I'm not saying Dalen is the one that's going to be sitting, but somebody's going to have to sit. That's just kind of the way it is."
Terry, who spent two years in college at Arizona, figured to be a bit of a project when the Bulls chose him with the No. 18 overall pick last year. The Bulls saw him as maybe a cross between Ball and Alex Caruso. Terry is 6-feet-7 with a long wingspan, so he has the tools to be a good defender and he also played point guard quite often in college. Shooting is the skill he's trying to improve.
"It felt good just to get some minutes and be able to get some real opportunity," Terry said. "I know with all the stars on our team, I've got to be able to do the little things if I want to be able to keep getting opportunities."
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