Getty Images Marko Simonivic
The NBA offseason has been slower than a snail’s race over the last couple of weeks. Now that the top free agents have already signed and the NBA Summer League has ended the stories have been few and far between.
The Chicago Bulls had a successful Summer League as the team finished with a 4-1 record. The Bulls had numerous players that flashed potential as Dalen Terry, Marko Simonivic, and Justin Lewis all turned in strong performances.
While all three turned in strong performances that doesn’t necessarily mean that any of them will make an impact for the Bulls this season. Just because a player performs well in the Summer League doesn’t necessarily mean that it will translate to the NBA.
Not Much Impact
On Saturday Chicago Sun-Times Bulls Insider Joe Cowley wrote an article titled “The Summer League was very telling for Bulls and the rest of the NBA.” In the article, Cowley discusses the play of Simonivic during the Summer League.
Even with first-round pick Dalen Terry on the floor, Simonovic was the best Bull playing. That was evident with him being named to the All-Summer League second team.
But what does that translate into for the big-boy roster?
Unfortunately, not much on the impact scale.
If Simonovic is getting regular rotation minutes at any point next season, then something went seriously wrong at the center position for the Bulls. It’s a position that right now goes three-deep, led by Nikola Vucevic, veteran Andre Drummond and Tony Bradley.
So while Simonovic outperformed Terry, neither made a statement in the instant impact department.
Cowley is right that Simonivic won’t be a minutes threat to Vucevic or Drummond. Both are established bigs that play the bulk of the minutes at center for the Bulls if healthy.
It’s possible though that Simonivic could steal some minutes from Bradley. Last season Bradley averaged just 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.
If Simonivic can take advantage of his opportunities in the preseason and early in the regular season then maybe he can carve out a role for himself with the Bulls. One thing for sure is that Simonivic will have to earn a role for the Bulls.
Bulls Have Depth
While the Bulls didn’t make any flashy moves in free agency the team was able to bolster the roster by adding Drummond and Goran Dragic in free agency. Those additions have made the Bulls a deeper team which is important for a team that dealt with a ton of injuries last season.
This season the Bulls will have four point guards on the roster with Lonzo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Dragic. Chicago will also have at least six wings on the roster with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, and Derrick Jones Jr.
The Bulls will also have depth inside unlike last season with Vucevic, Drummon, Bradley, and possibly Simonivic. While the Bulls roster still has some questions like rim protection and three-point shooting, there is no question that the roster will be deeper this season.