Javon Freeman-Liberty stole the present for the Chicago Bulls within the NBA summer season league.
The Bulls got here into Las Vegas with completely different priorities: scouting Dalen Terry’s development and measuring up the potential of draft decide Julian Phillips and two-way rookie Adama Sanogo. But as an alternative, all eyes had been on Freeman-Liberty, a second-year guard out of DePaul who led the Bulls with 21.2 factors per recreation.
Freeman-Liberty was the very best shooter on the court docket for the Bulls, taking pictures 49.3% and ending 12-for-26 on 3-pointers. His efficiency in opposition to the Sacramento Kings was a prime spotlight as he logged 28 factors, six assists and nil turnovers in 31 minutes.
Freeman-Liberty was among the many prime 5 of summer season league gamers in taking pictures proportion (49.3%), subject targets (35) and scoring (106 factors). He scored 24 on 8-for-16 taking pictures Saturday within the Bulls’ 90-85 victory in opposition to the Washington Wizards of their summer season league finale. The Bulls completed 3-2
Freeman-Liberty appeared set to step into a bigger function for the Windy City Bulls this season following the departure of 2023 G- League MVP Carlik Jones, whose contract was transformed to the Bulls roster on the finish of final season. But is all this sufficient for Freeman-Liberty to earn a first-team contract?
It’s an unlikely monitor — but it surely’s the first purpose for a Chicago native hoping to make the roster of his hometown staff.
A product of Young, Freeman-Liberty performed his first two years of school at Valparaiso earlier than transferring to DePaul. After going undrafted in 2022, Freeman-Liberty got here off the bench for 11 of 17 appearances with the Windy City Bulls final season. But he made probably the most of that court docket time, averaging 18.4 factors, 5.7 rebounds and a pair of.9 assists on 49.8% taking pictures.
The most compelling facet of Freeman-Liberty’s recreation is the best way he assaults the rim — onerous. He brings sharp downhill imaginative and prescient and an absence of hesitation, a vital mixture for any guard to get to the rim. Decisiveness has been a deadly flaw for younger Bulls counterparts, comparable to Dalen Terry and Patrick Williams, but it surely didn’t appear to be a priority for Freeman-Liberty in Las Vegas.
The caveat, after all, is the circumstance. Summer league is an imperfect gauge of a participant’s potential. The protection is much less hardy, the opposition much less skilled. Top draft picks comparable to Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson sat out the latter half of the match’s opening spherical, additional decreasing the extent of competitors even among the many youthful stars.
On paper Freeman-Liberty appears to be like to be a viable guard possibility, however his greatest stats have been posted in opposition to a decrease tier of competitors.
Freeman-Liberty’s future is affected by one other issue: Will the Bulls even want one other guard?
As the roster stands, the principle precedence is securing extra measurement at middle and ahead. But the Bulls additionally have to shore up the secondary rotation guard spots. At the tip of the season, the purpose for that place was clear: re-sign Ayo Dosunmu, who entered restricted free company.
Dosunmu is one other high-motor hometown standout with hefty NBA expertise, and his $5.2 million qualifying provide continues to be a comparatively cheap deal for a secondary guard.
The Bulls re-signed Coby White whereas swapping Jevon Carter for Patrick Beverley at guard and Torrey Craig for Derrick Jones Jr. at energy ahead. If they create again Dosunmu and Jones, the Bulls could have solely be two spots left, each of which can possible have to be targeted on bulking up their rim safety and measurement within the paint.
Like Jones earlier than him, the best choice for Freeman-Liberty is probably going a two-way contract. The Bulls have used solely one among their three two-way contracts to date to signal Sanogo. And a two-way contract advantages the event of a participant comparable to Freeman-Liberty, who might use a excessive quantity of minutes within the G League to maintain progressing whereas mixing in additional incessantly in practices with the primary staff.
Regardless of the place he lands throughout the Bulls system, Freeman-Liberty clearly used summer season league in the best way it was meant — to show he deserves a shot on the subsequent degree.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com