Chicago Bulls: Training Camp roster forming with CG Ethan Thompson

The beginnings of what the roster including some of the newer faces could be for the Chicago Bulls in Training Camp and the preseason this year are starting to form this week. With the Bulls selection of the former Illinois Fighting Illini star junior point guard Ayo Dosunmu with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, one more spot on the projected 15-man rotation now looks to be solidified.

And another name to watch that the Bulls reportedly signed to an EXHIBIT-10 deal in the hours following the conclusion of the draft is the former Oregon State Beavers standout senior combo guard Ethan Thompson. This was the first and only addition for the Bulls thus far among the undrafted free agent signings.

Last year, the Bulls also had one undrafted free agent signing that stuck to the roster through Training Camp and the preseason. That sole undrafted free agent last year that stuck for the Bulls was the former Kansas Jayhawks star sophomore point guard Devon Dotson. And it appears that Dotson will return for the Bulls again this season.

What the Bulls are getting out of Thompson is more guard depth to potentially replace losses to the backcourt rotation this offseason such as point guard Ryan Arcidiacono and shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine. The Bulls are also likely to have second-year point guard Coby White injured still at the outset of the preseason slate.

Likely Chicago Bulls preseason roster forming with the addition of CG Ethan Thompson

Thompson had a real breakthrough at the end of his career with Oregon State. He was an NCAA Tournament All-Region honoree last season, and a 2020-21 All-PAC-12 First-Team selection. Thompson’s solid senior campaign also featured an All-PAC-12 Tournament Team selection near the end of his run in college.

The 6-foot-5 and 195-pound former four-star recruit and Los Angeles, CA, native brings a similar frame to the table for the Bulls as Dosunmu. But the skill set is quite a bit different.

Thompson is a very good defender with excellent off-ball awareness and good lateral quickness. He’s going to be able to keep up with most guards on the perimeter at the next level. That could give him an edge in Training Camp with the Bulls this year.

Moreover, Thompson isn’t as much of an offensive threat or as efficient on that end of the floor as Dosunmu. There was only one season out of four for Thompson in college where he shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc. And he shot around 42 percent from the field for his career at Oregon State.

Two areas where Thompson did improve in the latter years of his time at Oregon State were his distributing ability in a halfcourt offense and his volume scoring ability. Thompson ranked in the top 10 in the PAC-12 last season, averaging just shy of 16 points per game. And he registered an assist percentage north of 25 in each of the last two seasons of his college career.

All in all, this could be a low-risk, medium-reward addition for the Bulls to the Training Camp roster this year. Thompson could contribute during the preseason, work his way through a year or two in the G-League with the Windy City Bulls, and then potentially move his way into the NBA rotation.

This was a much quieter night for the Bulls in the 2021 draft. Dosunmu was the lone pick for Arturas Karnisovas and the Bulls at No. 38. Thompson is the next addition from the Bulls following the conclusion of draft night.