One of the more exciting players to watch with the Chicago Bulls during the Las Vegas NBA Summer League was the rookie big man and 2020 second-round draft pick Marko Simonovic. The former KK Mega Bemax big man Simonovic made a splash as a solid rebounder, shooter, and facilitator from the five, during the Summer League slate.
Yet, it was going to be difficult for Simonovic to prove that he should get some major minutes out of the gates this season. Coming over to join the Bulls roster this season, Simonovic still has a lot of room to grow in his game on both ends of the floor.
That was evident with the organization’s decision to assign Simonovic to the G-League affiliate Windy City Bulls to start out the week. Simonovic will join the likes of some other Bulls players that are technically still part of the NBA roster in second-year point guard Devon Dotson and uber-athletic forward Tyler Cook.
Chicago Bulls send Marko Simonovic down to Windy City Bulls
Simonovic is not in one of the two-way contract slots, unlike Cook and Dotson, but he’s going to have to prove a lot to earn his way into a significant spot in the big-league rotation anytime soon.
This is not really a bad thing, though, for Simonovic as he now has the time to showcase what he can do and improve around some other rising talents. Getting to still play with the likes of Dotson and Cook should be able to help Simonovic develop at an increased pace.
If the Bulls have any sort of injury issues on the NBA roster in the frontcourt unit, that could also mean some minutes in the second or third unit off the bench in Chicago.
For the time being, Simonovic needs to polish his game with the Windy City Bulls in the G-League. This was a step he was likely going to take either way.
It is a good while before the G-League season begins. A new format to the G-League season, where there will be 36 games in the regular season and the Showcase Cup will be expanded, could also be fun to watch for rising Bulls talents like Dotson, Simonovic, and Cook.
Given that there is roughly two months until the start of the G-League season, Simonovic could very well find his way back onto the NBA roster before the 2021-22 campaign tips off.