Chicago Drafts Dalen Terry
How will he fit on this new Bull’s roster?
Last night, Dalen Terry was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. On March 12th, he won the Pac-12 title with Arizona. Three days before that, he was named Pac-12 All-Defense. 23 days before than that, he announced a non-alcoholic craft beer sponsorship(?)!
The man is doing it all.
Terry is a fun addition to this Bulls roster. At 6'7", he’s a defensive-oriented wing that can pass, cut, and shoot a few 3s. All great skills to have, but they don’t directly address the Bulls’ most urgent weaknesses: rim protection and shooting. What will Terry’s skillset look like on this Bull’s squad?
“Swiss Army Knife”
Nearly every piece of draft content about Dalen Terry calls him a “swiss army knife”. I hate this term because it’s vague; it means different things for different players. Analysts say “swiss army knife” when someone plays more than one position. Side note — if you’re new to basketball, everyone plays more than one position now.
Despite my dislike for the term “swiss army knife”, I like it for Dalen Terry. He’s long, athletic, plays tough defense, and has remarkable court vision. Although he doesn’t attempt many 3s, he shoots them pretty well (36% on 2.1 3PA last season at Arizona). He will definitely take more at the pro level.
Terry is a great cutter without the ball, and he can dunk. I put the highlight reel below — it’s a fun watch. Zo & DeRozan will get easy assists with backdoor cuts from Terry.
Despite the flashy dunks, Terry will (hopefully) earn his minutes via defense. The Bulls started out hot on defense last season, until Ball and Caruso got injured. The defense degraded quickly; hopefully Terry can be another competent team defender.
Terry’s Fit on the Bulls
As a Bulls fan, I’m just happy that we’re good enough to talk about a rookie’s fit on the team. Around this time of year, we’re usually hoping that our 7th overall pick will save the franchise.
But before diving too deep, it’s worth mentioning that the Bulls are a first-round playoff team ripe for potential trades. This team needs rim protection and shooting. I could see Dalen Terry in a trade package that addresses these issues, but I would love to see him stay in Chicago.
I see Terry eating up minutes from guys like Derrick Jones Jr., Troy Brown Jr., and Javonte Green. This was the versatile, athletic, run-and-gun 2–4 slot last year. They’re catching lobs, cutting, making the extra pass, etc. The key difference with Terry is (again, hopefully) his defense. He’s 6’7" with a ’ 7'0" wingspan. We’ll see how his game translates to the NBA, but he did made Pac-12 All-Defense for a reason.
Aside from his defense, Terry’s court vision and passing stand out to me the most (passing highlights ~3:00 in the video above). He sees the backdoor cutter because he often is the backdoor cutter. He throws the same lobs that he catches. Not only does he see these looks, he makes the pass on time. Dalen Terry is yet another Bull itching for a 2-on-1 fast break. He can not only facilitate, but finish these transition plays. He’ll make a dangerous pairing with guys like Lavine, Ball, and DeRozan. Terry’s skillset is certainly conducive to last year’s regular season playstyle, but what can his impact be come April?
The good news is — *drumroll* — it doesn’t matter. No one is expecting Terry to move the Bulls’ playoff needle. He’s playing with house money. However, I do think his defense and passing (at his size), will be things to watch moving forward. His presence as a secondary playmaker could mitigate some of the slow, sticky possessions that we saw against the Bucks this year. His defensive skillset will, at the very least, provide another competent defender in the rotation.
Disclaimers
- I’m an incredibly biased, incredibly optimistic Bulls homer. If the Bulls drafted anyone else, I would have written an article with a near-identical approval rating.
- I don’t follow College basketball and my opinions are solely based on highlight reels, draft analyses, and interviews.
Conclusion
Dalen Terry is coming to the Bulls at a great time. The team has 3 veteran players who can mentor the young guys (and each average 20–25 minutes per game). Terry isn’t expected to make a monster impact on this Bulls team, but he can contribute to winning. At the end of the day, Patrick Williams (when he’s healthy) has higher expectations as the young guy for Chicago. Hopefully Williams and Terry will push each other to be better.
