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 recreation Sunday afternoon in Iowa earlier than driving again to Chicago to swimsuit up for Sunday evening’s recreation in opposition to 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 mentioned. “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 seek out extra minutes for Terry with their G League affiliate. He logged greater than half-hour in each video games in opposition to 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 mentioned. “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 could be tough — some gamers see it as a demotion or a downgrade from the highest competitors.
But Donovan mentioned that wasn’t a priority with Terry, who particularly requested a transfer to Windy City to make sure he stays in recreation form throughout any lulls in taking part in time with the Bulls.
“It’s all your perception,” Donovan mentioned. “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 time looking for out pickup video games in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. He skilled with any NBA participant he may join with, together with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Harrison Barnes and Jamal Crawford.
During certainly one of his first pickup classes earlier than his pre-draft exercises, Terry landed a two-on-two recreation 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 mentioned his response was quick: “All right, bet.”
It wasn’t a fair matchup. Terry mentioned Durant pulled out each trick in his bag — together with hitting half-court photographs — however Terry cheerfully described the matchup as a precious studying expertise.
“I mean, I was guarding him a little bit,” Terry mentioned. “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 relatively than jacking up a excessive quantity of photographs or taking part in selfishly.
Terry mentioned 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 mentioned. “I just want to play a complete game.”
Donovan added that scoring isn’t all the time 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 skill to offer defensive power on the perimeter. Donovan needs Terry to proceed creating that aspect of his recreation 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 mentioned. “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 possible 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 mentioned the Bulls are assured within the rookie’s skill to develop via these early video games.
“He’s a very, very competitive guy,” Donovan mentioned. “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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Source: www.bostonherald.com