Getty DePaul guard Javon Freeman-Liberty handles the ball during a Big East tourney bout with St. John's.
After starring at Whitney Young as a prep baller and, later, spending his final two collegiate seasons at DePaul, Javon Freeman-Liberty checked another big item off of his hardwood to-do list on Friday. He played in an NBA arena while wearing an NBA jersey against actual NBA players.
Moreover, he did so as a member of his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.
Following his DNP against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 4, Freeman-Liberty hit the court at the United Center three nights later in the Bulls’ second preseason game against the Denver Nuggets. He acquitted himself well, too, scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting (and 2-of-4 from deep) in just six minutes of action.
The next time he suits up in the Windy City, though, he may just be doing so as a member of the opposing team — or perhaps even a G League team.
Bulls Trim Their Roster, Cut Ties With the Chicago Native
Transaction: We have waived G Javon Freeman-Liberty.
Thank you and best of luck, JFL.
Per an announcement from the Bulls on Saturday, the team has officially parted ways with Freeman-Liberty.
After going undrafted out of DePaul, the 22-year-old put pen to paper on an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls back in July. He went on to appear in five summer league games with Chicago, averaging 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.2 minutes per contest.
He also connected on 40% of his three-point shots (although he shot just 38.7% overall).
Clearly, he did enough to keep himself in the mix for training camp. With the regular season fast approaching, though, the time had come for the Bulls to start trimming down their roster to the 15-player maximum (plus two two-way signees) ahead of opening night on October 19.
Even with Lonzo Ball’s injury, the Bulls’ backcourt rotation was simply too deep for the 6-foot-4 Freeman-Liberty to remain on the roster. That said, his Exhibit 10 status may indicate that a run with the G League’s Windy City Bulls is in his immediate future. His performance against the Nuggets may inspire some other clubs to look his way, too.
Jones Gets the Start at PF Against the Raptors
Former No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams may be the power forward of the future for the Bulls, but his status as the four-man of the present looks to be in doubt. After starting Williams in his team’s exhibition opener versus the Pels, head coach Billy Donovan made the surprising move to go with Javonte Green against the Nuggets.
In the wake of the move, Williams took a zen approach to his unexpected demotion.
“My [job] is just to be ready whenever my name is called,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, I’m just trying to win. I trust the coaching staff, I trust the front office that they want to win as well. So, whatever decision they want to make, that’s not on me. It’s my job to help the team win.”
The Bulls elected to go with a third big man during their Sunday bout with the Toronto Raptors, giving Derrick Jones Jr. a turn with the first five. Whether this means anything at all regarding Williams’ spot/role in the games that matter remains to be seen.