It hasn’t taken long for things to get off to a dramatic start in Las Vegas, as the NBA Summer League has already had its fair share of huge audiences, thrilling buzzer-beaters, and even this year’s most unexpected celebrity feud. Although no Chicago Bulls players are sharing headlines with Britney Spears, there’s still been plenty of reasons to tune into the action thus far.
After defeating the Toronto Raptors 83-74 in the opening contest of the Summer League, expectations started raising for a team that on paper looked undermanned and outmatched. Unfortunately, they’d drop a hard-fought 80-87 battle against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second game.
The silver lining here is that there have already been a few clear standout players (and a few disappointments) as the Bulls use this as an opportunity to scout talent and round out the roster.
A few Bulls players are beginning to make a name for themselves in the NBA Summer League.
If the Bulls intend to compete for the Summer League championship, they’ll need to finish things out strong here and win their next two games by a strong margin. If they can accomplish that feat, they might just be among the top teams invited to the four-team tournament to decide who will win it all. If Chicago doesn’t qualify for the tournament, they’ll play a fifth and final Summer League game on either July 15 or 16.
Whether or not the young guns bring some hardware back with them, I believe these games have been absolutely vital when it comes to evaluating just who deserves a spot on this team moving forward. Some players have managed to make compelling cases for themselves, while some others… well, let’s just say they’re not doing themselves any favors.