The Chicago Bulls have something special in Dalen Terry

The Chicago Bulls have gone through an incredibly rough stretch as of late, where the team is now on a 6-game losing streak and has the 7th-worst record in the NBA at 26-33. This all comes after a trade deadline where Chicago was one of two teams that failed to make a trade in what was the biggest deadline in recent memory.

The Bulls now have a 32% chance of receiving a top-4 pick in the draft and keeping their protected pick from going to the Orlando Magic as a result of the Nikola Vucevic trade. With this in mind, it could be a good option for the franchise to start over and rebuild. The Bulls can do this with their several quality young pieces, including rookie Dalen Terry.

If the Chicago Bulls decide that the LaVine-DeRozan-Vucevic trio is a bust, they have an excellent young piece in Dalen Terry.

Dalen Terry has played very few minutes almost three-quarters of the way through his first NBA season, averaging just 5 minutes per game in 23 appearances. The 18th overall pick was highly touted as an elite defender in college and had the potential to be a lockdown player due to his energy and athleticism. So far, Terry has lived up to the hype with his defense in a small sample size, bringing life to a Bulls team that seems to sleepwalk at times.

https://twitter.com/NBCSBulls/status/1625329101908193281

In this clip, Terry torments Orlando’s Bol Bol on defense and draws a push-off, leading to a Magic turnover. In this game, Dalen brought so much energy to the Bulls, and while they could not pull off a comeback, the rookie had 4 points, a rebound, and 2 steals in just 9 minutes.

This game, along with injuries to DeMar DeRozan and Derrick Jones Jr., has led to Terry getting more minutes. The 20-year-old had the best game of his young career on Thursday vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, where he logged career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds, and assists. Dalen had 13 points on 6-12 shooting and added 7 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists with no turnovers in 27 minutes of play.

He has shown a tremendous ability to stuff the stat sheet, proving the versatility of his game. This game against the Bucks served as a reminder that even though he has not played much this season, Terry has the potential to be a star in this league. Here are some of Terry’s highlights in that game:

Dalen has shown that his offensive game lies in his touch around the rim, being able to finish in the paint despite deterrents. Additionally, he brings more effort to the table, hustling for offensive boards and easy finishes. While Terry has been able to score with these methods, he has struggled with his jumper. On the season, the rookie is just 2-12 from 3-point range, and this has been the main concern with his game overall. This will be an area that he will have to improve significantly because he has all the other tools to be an excellent NBA player down the line. If Terry can do this, the Bulls may have found themselves a gem in last year’s draft.

If the Chicago Bulls decide that the LaVine-DeRozan-Vucevic experiment was a bust, they should begin a rebuild. With the way he has played these last 3 games, Dalen Terry should be a key piece in the revamping of the franchise, as he is a young player with the potential to be a star in the league. If he is able to improve his jumper, the rookie could be a key part of the Bulls’ potential rebuild.