The Chicago Bulls endured a tough loss Tuesday evening vs Atlanta. Despite the loss, rookie Wendell Carter Jr. had another solid performance that should have Bulls fans excited.
Losing is never a fun thing to do, no matter the circumstances. The Chicago Bulls had a large lead in the game but sloppy play and inefficient shooting allowed the Hawks to overcome the early deficit. However, there was an silver lining in the loss that was exciting to see. Recent top-10 pick Wendell Carter Jr. put together another solid game, posting 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. So, instead of talking about the loss, we are going to talk about Wendell Carter Jr.’s impressive skillset and why fans should be anticipating his arrival this season.
Wendell Carter Jr. has shown great promise this summer by showcasing his presence on both ends of the court
When the Bulls took Wendell Carter Jr. with 7th overall pick this year, fans were skeptical. Carter Jr. was outshined by fellow lottery pick Marvin Bagley in their own year at Duke and people were unsure about his potential in the NBA. Through three Summer League games, Carter Jr. has cleared all of those thoughts out of people’s minds. Averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds, and almost 4 blocks per game, Carter Jr. is proving to be a great young talent that the Bulls can build around in the near-future.
Offense:
Upon being drafted, Carter Jr.’s offensive potential was highly questioned. The big-man only averaged 13 points at Duke and wasn’t utilized due to being surrounded by Bagley, Grayson Allen, and Gary Trent Jr. Since then, Carter Jr. has proved to be a strong and consistent scoring option. He is averaging those 16 points this summer while shooting over 56% from the field. Not to mention he has also shown he can shoot the three-ball, connecting on 3 of his 6 three-point attempts. Carter Jr.’s might not posses a great post-up game, but he has his ways of getting the ball in the hoop. If Carter Jr. can continue this offensive success, he will play himself into big minutes in the regular season very early on.
Defense:
Something people did know before coming to Chicago was that Carter Jr. was a very solid defender. He was tasked with bolster Duke’s defense last year and would always guard the opponents elite big-man. What we didn’t expect was that he would so quickly shot him rim-protecting skills, something very sought after in today’s NBA.
Carter Jr. has blocked 11 shots in his first three Summer League games. This is incredible demonstration of defensive prowess from the rookie and will be something that will earn him lots of playing time in his first season. It also makes the frontcourt pairing of Carter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen just that much more enticing.
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As I have said, the Bulls lost and the game did not go well overall. Sometimes, you just have to take a step back and look at the good despite the bad, and Wendell Carter Jr. is looking awfully good right now.