In case you missed it, the Chicago Bulls drafted Arizona guard/wing Dalen Terry with the 18th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. For the most part, Terry was not a player on the radar for Bulls fans. In general, the player most mocked to the Bulls was Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell, who was still on the board when the Bulls made their selection.
In fact, looking at several mock drafts from reputable sources, Dalen Terry was nowhere to be seen in connection to Chicago. Still, the Bulls felt they drafted the best player available at 18. Fans were surprised and possibly even upset with the pick. Liddell was there, so was Ohio State’s Malaki Branham, and Auburn’s Walker Kessler was available for interior defense.
However, it seems the Bulls were not alone in valuing Terry higher than the aforementioned players. According to Daniel Greenberg, Terry was high on the draft boards of several teams.
Terry’s Fit in Chicago
Dalen Terry fits a pattern for Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley in their limited time making first-round selections in Chicago. Terry, like Patrick Williams in 2020, is an athletic, versatile player who can guard multiple positions and projects to be a defensive stopper. Also like Williams, Terry will need time to fill out his body and work on his offensive game.
The big difference between Williams in 2020 and Terry now is that the Bulls don’t need to thrust Terry into a significant role. As long as Lonzo Ball recovers well and Zach LaVine re-signs, the Bulls can put Terry on the end of the bench and help him develop over the next several years. Over the next few seasons, Terry can step into the rotation and serve a role similar to Alex Caruso, complementing the Bulls’ scoring guards and fast-break tendencies.
The plan seems to be to rely on Chicago’s veterans now while betting on Terry’s potential. It makes sense. Even if Coby White is gone, the Bulls have a plethora of guards that need to see the court. While we don’t know much about which teams were trying to trade up, the report can bring some excitement for Bulls’ fans. In AK we trust, Bulls Nation. Let’s see how it goes.
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