Chicago Bulls Summer League players that could make the roster: Ethan Thompson
This spot on the list comes with a bit of an asterisk. The rookie former Oregon State Beavers standout combo guard Ethan Thompson was signed by executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on an EXHIBIT-10 deal following the 2021 NBA Draft.
Thompson was an undrafted free agent signing by the Bulls, and really the only one of note this year. The Bulls did give a handful of other undrafted free agents a shot with the Summer League team from this draft class, but Thompson looks to be the only one with a realistic chance to be on the roster even heading into Training Camp and the preseason.
There isn’t much that Thompson did thus far in Summer League offensively to blow the front office and coaching staff away. But he has performed admirably as a consistent and lengthy two-way combo guard that could be valuable for the Bulls heading into next season to provide more depth in the backcourt unit.
With point guard Coby White likely set to miss all or most of Training Camp and the preseason recovering from shoulder surgery, the Bulls could use some added depth here. After White, all that the Bulls really have on the depth chart that are healthy guards at the moment are point guard Alex Caruso and shooting guard Javonte Green.
Although, we should expect former Kansas Jayhawks point guard Devon Dotson to be back healthy soon after a lower-body injury in the Aug. 12 loss to the Timberwolves.
In three games played thus far in Summer League for Thompson, he’s averaged 9.0 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks. And he’s shot 26.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and is perfect on five attempts from the free-throw line.