Following the first real set of cuts from the Training Camp for the Chicago Bulls earlier this week, the front office actually added one more young player to the mix on Oct. 13. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley parted ways with the likes of rookie combo guard Ethan Thompson and center Daniel Oturu this week.
And then, on Oct. 13 the Bulls added the former UCLA Bruins star guard Bryce Alford on a Training Camp deal. This is likely going to be a non-guaranteed deal for Alford. Yet, it is interesting to hear the Bulls sign another guard after parting ways with Thompson earlier in the week.
And you would think that the Bulls could go after someone a bit more proven, or with a higher ceiling, than Alford at this point of Training Camp and the preseason.
The Bulls are planning to sign free agent guard Bryce Alford to a training camp deal, league source tells @HoopsRumors.
— JD Shaw (@JShawNBA) October 13, 2021
The report that the Bulls are adding Alford to the camp roster came from the Twitter timeline of JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors on the early afternoon of Oct. 13. This is the first addition to the Bulls camp roster since Oturu was added earlier in the month.
Chicago Bulls adding Bryce Alford on a Training Camp deal in final week of the preseason
But it obviously didn’t take too long for the Bulls to part ways with Oturu after just a couple of weeks of camp and three preseason games.
We’ll see what type of playing time Alford might potentially get with the Bulls off the bench in the preseason finale. All that the Bulls have left in this four-game preseason slate is the finale at home at the United Center against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 15.
This might be a plan for the Bulls to get Alford a chance to make an impact deeper down the bench, and send him down to the G-League affiliate Windy City Bulls in case this doesn’t work out.
What makes it so difficult for player like Alford to make an impact at this point of camp is how close teams like the Bulls are to finalizing the 15-man roster. But with Thompson and Oturu still vying for spots with the Windy City Bulls in the G-League, the plan could be similar with Alford.
Alford never actually played in a regular season game in his pro career to date. He signed a contract with the Oklahoma City following going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. Alford played with the Thunder in one Las Vegas NBA Summer League stint, and then also played in one preseason slate with them.
He was also effective for two seasons with the Thunder’s G-League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue from 2017-2019. Over the course of two seasons playing in the G-League, Alford averaged 14.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.1 blocks. And he shot 41 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc, and 82 percent from the free-throw line.
Alford spent the last two seasons playing overseas in Europe with SL Benfica and Medi Bayreuth. That is where he became one of the most lethal sharpshooting guards in Europe. He shot an insane 45 percent from beyond the arc on nearly 6.5 attempts per game with SL Benfica during the 2020-21 campaign.
The shooting ability that Alford brings to the table is likely the reason why the Bulls are giving him this opportunity with a camp deal. Former Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors sharpshooting guard/wing Matt Thomas looked intriguing early on in camp and the preseason. But his effectiveness faded a bit in the last two preseason games with the Bulls.
With some of the struggles that Thomas had shooting from the field and from beyond the arc down the stretch last season, the Bulls might see this as a red flag as his numbers are dipping late in the preseason too. There could be a brewing roster battle for one of the last remaining spots on the final roster, or for the final two-way contract slot, looming in the final week of camp.
The Bulls carry a record of 3-0 in the preseason through three games heading into the finale on Oct. 15 against the Grizzlies at home. And then, the Bulls are set to open up the regular season slate on the road on Oct. 20 against the Detroit Pistons.