While Zach LaVine and the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team continue to try for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, NBA Summer League is getting underway.
The Chicago Bulls will begin Summer League play next week on Aug. 9 when they face the New Orleans Pelicans as part of MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. They are also scheduled to face the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Ahead of their opener, the Bulls announced their roster for Summer League play.
Headlined by second-year forward Patrick Williams, the Bulls’ Summer League roster also includes rookie Ayo Dosumnu, two-way contracted player Devon Dotson, Chicago’s 2020 draft pick Marko Simonović and Simi Shittu, a former Windy City Bull who has previously played for Chicago in preseason.
The remainder of the roster is made up of a mix of undrafted players, G League players and players with minimal NBA experience.
Your 2021 Summer League Bulls! ☀️
Chicago’s Summer League squad will be coached by Bulls assistant coach Damian Cotter.
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Meet the Rest of the Roster
In addition to helping the Bulls work toward a Summer League championship, many of the players of their roster will be working toward earning an invitation to training camp.
Here are the other players on the squad:
Williams Gets First Summer League Experience
While Williams is headed into his second NBA season, this year’s Summer League will be his first one. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no Summer League last year. Williams quickly went from being drafted to participating in his first NBA training camp to being an NBA starter.
“I think this will be a really good experience for me,” Williams said of Summer League back in May, as reported by NBC Sports Chicago. “I’m excited about it. This summer is going to be huge for me and this organization.”
This past season, Williams played and started in 71 games — missing just one game. He impressed with his potential, and he averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. But the expectation for Williams is that he has to be better and more aggressive with his play. The general hope is that having an actual offseason with legitimate opportunities to train can help him become a more effective NBA player.
2020 Draftee Simonović Has Joined the Bulls
When the Bulls drafted Simonović with the No. 44 pick last year, he was selected as a draft-and-stash player. Less than a year later, he seems to be set to make his NBA debut.
Welcome, Marko 👋 @msimonovic99
Last month, Simonović’s agent, Miško Ražnatović, posted a picture on Instagram with the caption “One way ticket to Chicago!”
While playing for KK Mega Basket of the Adriatic Basketball Association last season, the 6-foot-11 center averaged 15.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 31.6 minutes. He also shot 47.5% from the field and 34.9% on 3-pointers.
Dosumnu Undecided on Jersey Number
According to the Bulls’ Summer League roster announcement, Dosunmu is set to wear the No. 12 as his jersey number. However, the rookie recently tweeted that the number is, at least for now, just the one he will wear during Summer League. The jersey number he’ll sport during the actual NBA season has yet to be determined.
At Illinois, Dosunmu wore No. 11. For the Bulls, that jersey number was last worn by Javonte Green — who became a restricted free agent when the Bulls issued a qualifying offer, as reported by Sportrac’s Keith Smith.
The last No. 12 Bulls jersey was worn by Daniel Gafford, who was traded to the Washington Wizards last season at the trade deadline. Prior to that, longtime Bull Kirk Hinrich wore 12.
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Patrick Williams, Recent Draftees Headline Bulls’ Summer League Roster