Grading the Bulls’ surprising decision to draft Dalen Terry

In spite of circling rumors that they’d look to package their pick with Coby White in a trade, the Chicago Bulls ultimately ended up selecting Dalen Terry with the 18th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

This pick serves as the second-highest selection Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley have had during their time running the Bulls. It’s also only just the second first-round pick they’ve had at their disposal. For that reason, it’s easy to see why so many eager-eyes fans waited in anticipation to see how the pick would eventually be used.

While many fans wanted to land a highly-touted prospect like Mark Williams, Tari Eason, or Jalen Williams, they were selected too early and out of Chicago’s range. It’s entirely possible that the Bulls did try to offer a package with Coby to move up and secure one of these players, but perhaps no teams were interested in the offer.

Another heavily-rumored route the Bulls could have taken was putting the pick in a package to secure Utah’s star big man Rudy Gobert via trade. This was a heavily popular option among fans, but in the end, was not meant to be.

Here’s how you should feel about the 18th overall pick and newest member of the Chicago Bulls, Dalen Terry

Instead, the Bulls would draft Dalen Terry, a versatile guard talent out of Arizona. Terry has impressive size for a guard and is the type of player who has improved significantly each year as his game rounds out. Terry’s most well known for being a plus playmaker who takes good care of the ball, making his teammates better like backcourt partner Bennedict Mathurin.

As a sophomore, Dalen Terry averaged 8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. His ability to create shot opportunities for others should translate well to NBA and prove to be a valuable asset for the Bulls.

Some critics of Terry’s game may point out he doesn’t specialize in any one particular area, but I believe his well-rounded game and work ethic to improve make him a great pick here. He’s the type of player whose balanced strengths outweigh their limited weaknesses and should make many Bulls fans impressed as his game develops.

At the end of the day, no prospect is going to be without their flaws at No. 18 overall. It’s the job of the front office to see through these concerns, and I believe Karnisovas and Eversley have done exactly that and made a great pick here. My only regret here is that the Bulls could not get their hands on Tari Eason, who went just one pick higher and would have addressed several of the Chicago Bulls’ weaknesses.

Draft Grade: B