It’s safe to assume most of the Bulls’ fanbase knows who Marko Simonovic and Dalen Terry are, but within a few years the rest of the NBA will too. Amid the struggles the Chicago Bulls are dealing with during this season, let’s not forget what’s on deck. These two young guns will soon be flashing their potential in the G-league for the Windy City Bulls, and alongside the growing talk of their NBA partners being sellers at the trade deadline, could be headed to Chicago before too long.
Silky Smooth Stretch Five
Drafted in 2020, 23-year-old Marko Simonovic stands at a towering 7′ tall and is in his second season with the G-league affiliate Windy City Bulls. In his first campaign, he started 27 games and averaged an impressive 17 points, ten rebounds, and three assists per game. He shot over 60% from inside the arc and over 80% from the charity stripe. Although most hype surrounding Simonovic is based on the prospect of translating the young start to his professional career in Europe to the National Basketball Association someday, he has still shown signs of excellence in his limited exposure. Watching his highlight reel makes one wonder if he’s what the Bulls traded for Nikola Vucevic to be, only younger and cheaper!
Simonovic has not seen real NBA action and has an uphill battle to see the court this season. Sitting behind the rich contract of Vucevic and the outstanding early performance of Andre Drummond, without a trade of the former, it’s not likely that the Montenegrin center sees the floor for the Chicago team. Flashing a three-point percentage of over 44% and a block per contest during a five-game showcase in 2021-22′ for the Windy City team, the potential is oozing from the young man in the middle. He’s appeared in just ten career games for the big-league squad, only averaging four minutes in each one.
Long and Lengthy
Standing at 6’7″ with an insane wingspan of 7′ for a guard, Dalen Terry is primed for an excellent NBA career. Drafted due to his defensive prowess, length, athleticism, and improved offensive efficiency, Terry was a bit of a head-scratcher on draft day. Shooting up the draft board because of his combine numbers and freakishly athletic scores, he was nevertheless a steal for the Chicago Bulls. The 20-year-old has already appeared in 10 games for the struggling Chicago team. With the G-league firing up in the winter, it’s yet to be seen if he can replicate his all-around game that was flashed during the Las Vegas Summer League Showcase, averaging nearly 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game on almost 60% shooting from the field.
With the pro club toying with a full-blown rebuild, this is an excellent piece to build around. Defensive menaces are hard to come by in today’s game, and shooters and surrounding stars like Zach Lavine can handle the scoring around his facilitating offensive play style. With an assist-to-turnover ratio that improved dramatically over his college career and the size and length of this kid, exciting things are on the way. Although it’s probably far away, the lights will shine bright when he takes the main stage for the Chicago Bulls.
While not much is looking great for the Chicago Bulls, the Windy City Bulls might have one of the better young duos in the G-League and will look to develop these two into the newest professional headliners when they get the call. Chicago is in the midst of a season and roster that could soon be broken apart, and the clear silver lining would be these two studs being able to blossom on the NBA scene. Tune in, and turn up Bulls faithful because the next wave of talent is almost here and ready to leave their mark.
