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There are many unknowns about the future of the Chicago Bulls’ roster.
Veterans Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine no longer have the trade value to match their former All-Star status.
That in part explains why they are still on the team despite the overall youth movement. However, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley believes the clock is ticking on several younger players as well.
Cowley’s list of “now or never” players includes 2022 first-round pick Dalen Terry.
“If the outside shot is fixed and the game has slowed down for him, Terry has a chance to stick. Big ifs, however,” Cowley wrote on September 14.
Terry was the No. 18 overall pick in 2022. He appeared in 38 games as a rookie and had 59 appearances in 2023-24, including making two starts. Terry averaged career-highs with 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in his second season.
His 6-foot-7 frame and nearly 7-foot-1 wingspan portend to his defensive potential.
However, Terry shot 25.9% from beyond the arc as a rookie and followed that with a 23.1% mark in 2023-24.
Terry spent the 2023-24 season with the main roster. He has been more effective in a small sample size with the Windy City Bulls in the G League over his two-year career. But the Bulls passed on several prospects who were more impactful even as rookies.
Most notable among them is 7-foot center Walker Kessler.
Kessler went two picks later to the Utah Jazz. He has been mentioned as a trade candidate since then but would have presented a clear succession plan for Vucevic’s 2023 free agency.
Julian Phillips Joins Dalen Terry on Insider’s ‘Now or Never List’
Terry has the 21st-most win shares per 48 minutes, per Basketball Reference. That is just three slots below his draft slot. Compounding the issue for the Bulls is that Terry has been outproduced by 12 players who were selected after him.
That includes eight players selected in the second round.
Optimistically for the Bulls, that also means several players selected ahead of Terry have also failed to meet the standard their draft stock implies. That is not much to bank on, though.
Cowley also put forward Julian Phillips in the “now or never” group. The No. 35 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Phillips made 40 appearances, all off the bench, as a rookie. He averaged 2.2 points and shot 31.6% from deep.
Cowley wants to see a more diversified game from the second-year man.
“The foot injury was a setback, but it’s time for Phillips to show he’s more than just a slash-and-dunk guy,” Cowley wrote.
Cowley writes that the Bulls lack the top-tier star that the top teams in the NBA have. If they are unable to turn their prospects into useful role players, it will be hard to support that kind of player when they do find one.
Their current state also makes it difficult to attract that level of star in free agency.
Insider Notes Scrutiny Around Bulls $27 Million Free Agent Pickup
After passing on Kessler and having Andre Drummond sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, the Bulls signed former Indiana Pacers center Jalen Smith. Cowley notes Smith’s size as a reason there are questions about his ability as a starting pivot.
“There were mixed reviews when the Bulls landed Smith,” Cowley wrote. “The undersized center will have a chance to make his case this season.”
The 6-foot-10 Smith is tied with Vucevic and rookie Matas Buzelis as the tallest Bulls players.
Vucevic is in Year 2 of a three-year, $60 million contract. It could take the Bulls finding a trade partner for him before Smith gets his opportunity in the starting lineup. Vucevic has been durable in his Bulls career, missing 15 games in his three full seasons in Chicago.
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