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G-League Windy City Bulls gain SG Antonio Blakeney

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 18: Antonio Blakeney #9 of the Chicago Bulls looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 18, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 18: Antonio Blakeney #9 of the Chicago Bulls looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 18, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

For yet another time in the last two seasons, the NBA G-League affiliate Windy City Bulls get shooting guard Antonio Blakeney back.

As the regular season moves along for the Chicago Bulls, the roster moves could play a bigger role heading into a pivotal 2019 off-season. On Feb. 5, the Chicago Bulls assigned a player that could be a part of the rotation for the future back down to the G-League affiliate Windy City Bulls, with former LSU Tigers shooting guard Antonio Blakeney.

The same day that Antonio Blakeney was assigned to the G-League affiliate for the Bulls, he suited up against the Washington Wizards affiliate Capital City Go-Go. This was an opportunity for him to show that the Bulls made a mistake in sending him down and that he should be back in the NBA in due time.

However, in his two seasons and 59 career games with the Bulls, Antonio Blakeney didn’t prove much. He has yet to post a player efficiency rating in a single season over 12.0, and usually sits near the bottom of the team in that stat. Blakeney also has a career win shares per 48 minutes below zero.

A Chicago Bulls team that is bottoming out in the Eastern Conference is trying to find the pieces it needs to build around for the future. If Antonio Blakeney wants to be a part of that picture, he’ll need to show out more similar to what the Bulls are getting from former Kansas Jayhawks guard Wayne Selden and former Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis.

The cumulative efficiency rating formulated by SB Nation’s Andy Bailey called average rank in catch-alls, shows Antonio Blakeney as one of the NBA’s 10 worst players. The production and advanced analytics aren’t stacking up in Blakeney’s favor so far this season.

All in all, Antonio Blakeney has to look at this assigning to the Windy City Bulls as a shot to turn the page and start over fresh. He’s off to a decent start with his first half stats in Windy City’s matchup against Capital City, with nine points in a tie game.

A big reason for the assigning of Blakeney here could be the acquisition of the former Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot this week. Chicago took on his contract as a dump from Oklahoma City before the Feb. 7 NBA Trade Deadline.

This is the second time since the beginning of December 2018 that Blakeney is on his way back to the G-League. The last two seasons presented a rough start to this young shooting guard’s NBA career. The good news is he still has some time to figure things out and get back on track in the Windy City.

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