Chicago Bulls: 3 players ready to breakthrough after Summer League

Chicago Bulls players ready to breakthrough after Summer League: Marko Simonovic

Turning to another second-round draft pick in the past 18 months for Karnisovas and the Bulls, the former KK Mega Bemax big man Marko Simonovic really showed out in Summer League. You could easily say that Bulls fans grew more in excitement about Simonovic and Dosunmu than any other player on this Summer League roster.

Simonovic specifically had some real highlights in Summer League that were hard to match by anyone else on this roster. He really made an impact in multiple phases of the game and showed a greater ability to contribute right away in the frontcourt unit compared to what most fans in Chicago thought three or four months ago.

There were flashes that Simonovic showed while he was playing overseas in Europe with KK Mega Bemax, but a solid stint of games like he had in Summer League definitely hits closer to home (in a good way). And with the Bulls needing depth help in the frontcourt rotation heading into next season, it seems like a good move to bring Simonovic over one year after drafting him.

The 21-year-old 6-foot-11 and 220-pound center played in all five games in Summer League for the Bulls. And he averaged 12.0 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he shot 50 percent from the field, didn’t make any of his eight attempts from beyond the arc, and 82 percent from the free-throw line.

Just like Dosunmu, the main issue that Simonovic will have to clean up heading into next season will be shooting from downtown. But that should come over time.

The good news for Simonovic was definitely the consistent two-way production and standout court vision. There was not a single game that Simonovic played in Summer League where he didn’t score in the double-digits.