Dalen Terry logs double responsibility with G League Windy City because the Chicago Bulls search extra minutes for the rookie

Dalen Terry had little time to relaxation this weekend.

The Chicago Bulls rookie debuted with the Windy City Bulls on Saturday, then logged one other G League sport Sunday afternoon in Iowa earlier than driving again to Chicago to go well with up for Sunday night time’s sport towards the Denver Nuggets on the United Center.

For Terry, two days full of basketball was the epitome of an ideal weekend.

“It felt good to go against somebody besides the imagination in my head,” Terry stated. “I’d been asking to go down (to the G League). I just like to play basketball. I’m not a guy that’s here for the money or anything like that. I just want to play. If I can’t play up here or if there’s limited time, then I’d rather go down there and play and go work on something.”

Entering Sunday, Terry had tallied 22 minutes over seven NBA video games within the first month of his rookie season. His taking part in time truly elevated due to a schedule front-loaded with back-to-backs and accidents to Zach LaVine and Coby White.

But because the Bulls enter a extra relaxed interval of their schedule, they needed to search out extra minutes for Terry with their G League affiliate. He logged greater than half-hour in each video games towards the Iowa Wolves, ending with 18 factors, 9 assists and eight rebounds Saturday and 14 factors and 10 rebounds Sunday.

“We’ve had a pretty condensed schedule and we had some guys out, so it was good for him to get his feet wet in some of these (NBA) games,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan stated. “But you need significant and impactful minutes on a regular basis like (he’s gotten) in the last two days.”

Moving a participant to a G League affiliate might be difficult — some gamers see it as a demotion or a downgrade from the highest competitors.

But Donovan stated that wasn’t a priority with Terry, who particularly requested a transfer to Windy City to make sure he stays in sport form throughout any lulls in taking part in time with the Bulls.

“It’s all your perception,” Donovan stated. “For him, he’s eager to play. He wanted to play. He likes that. If he sees an opportunity for himself to improve and get better and get the opportunity to play, he’s going to feel pretty good about doing that.”

Terry spent his summer season searching for out pickup video games in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. He skilled with any NBA participant he might join with, together with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Harrison Barnes and Jamal Crawford.

During one in every of his first pickup periods earlier than his pre-draft exercises, Terry landed a two-on-two sport with Irving and Durant. As the pairs lined as much as begin the scrimmage, Irving gestured to Durant, then again to Terry.

“You got him?” Irving requested.

Terry stated his response was instant: “All right, bet.”

It wasn’t a fair matchup. Terry stated Durant pulled out each trick in his bag — together with hitting half-court photographs — however Terry cheerfully described the matchup as a helpful studying expertise.

“I mean, I was guarding him a little bit,” Terry stated. “I think I stole the ball from him one time and then he got to talking. That’s KD, so he got to doing what KD does. … Nothing I could do about it, but he had to guard me too.”

Although the Bulls need Terry to make use of the G League as a possibility to enhance himself, Donovan emphasised the significance of Terry becoming seamlessly into the Windy City lineup reasonably than jacking up a excessive quantity of photographs or taking part in selfishly.

Terry stated he centered on cohesive basketball in his first two video games with Windy City.

“I’m not a player that goes down and tries to score 40 or something like that,” he stated. “I just want to play a complete game.”

Donovan added that scoring isn’t at all times the main target for rookies and different developmental gamers throughout stints with the G League affiliate.

Terry is already a defensive-minded participant. Much of his taking part in time with the Bulls has revolved round his means to supply defensive power on the perimeter. Donovan needs Terry to proceed creating that aspect of his sport with Windy City.

“For younger players, when you look at their shots at the end of the game, they spend probably three or four more times on defense than they do offense,” Donovan stated. “So part of their development needs to be defensively — how they’re guarding the pick-and-roll, off ball screens, blocking out, being in the right position defensively.”

Terry seemingly will proceed to cycle between Windy City and the Bulls all through his rookie season, particularly when White has recovered from a left quadriceps damage.

Regardless of the place Terry earns his minutes, Donovan stated the Bulls are assured within the rookie’s means to develop by way of these early video games.

“He’s a very, very competitive guy,” Donovan stated. “He’s a good worker. He’s eager to get better and learn a lot more. And he will just because of his spirit and his disposition.”

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