The Chicago Bulls haven't truly maximized their roster spots, at least when it comes to the end of the rotation, so far during Bryson Graham's tenure.
They let go of both of their second-round draft assets this offseason, and although they added both Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka on two-way deals as undrafted free agents, there's certainly something left to be desired there. As Chicago enters this rebuild, they need to amass young talent wherever they can get it.
Leaving the 15th roster spot open, in that light, may prove to be a mistake.
But as the season approaches, the Bulls have a more pressing concern. They don't currently have a player signed to their third two-way contract spot, and that's something that Graham and the organization as a whole need to figure out. The spots are too interchangeable and provide too much flexibility to the team to simply leave it empty entering the new season.
Thankfully, they may have already found their solution by signing Peter Suder to an Exhibit 10 contract just days before training camp.
Peter Suder has a chance to claim the Bulls' final two-way spot as training camp kicks off
Sellers and Awaka are both solid additions, and it seems as though both of those pieces will take precedent over whoever claims that final two-way spot. Sellers has some significant upside as a bench scoring piece in the backcourt, and although Awaka certainly has some doubts surrounding his long-term fit at the NBA level, he has the rebounding skill set to at least get some consideration as a rookie.
Even if Suder is able to claim that final spot, it's going to be a steep path to seeing any true NBA minutes during his rookie campaign. But that doesn't mean that he can't establish himself as a worthy addition during training camp and the preseason.
Suder went undrafted coming off an impressive final college season at Miami-Ohio, averaging 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and four assists while knocking down 42.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc. Those numbers earned him a Summer League roster spot with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But he underperformed during his stint in Las Vegas—averaging just 5.3 points and shooting 33.3% from the field on relatively limited minutes—and he was ultimately jumped by Arthur Kaluma for a two-way spot with Los Angeles. Given how Kaluma played in Summer League, and the pure athleticism he showed in contrast with Suder, that was likely the right decision.
Chicago, at the very least, has plenty of depth in the backcourt. Dailyn Swain will need to see some run this season if he's going to shake off some of the shooting issues that have plagued him so far, and as mentioned above, Sellers may prove to be a real option there as well.
But when you stack Suder up against those pieces (including the Bulls' other Exhibit 10 signing, Houston Mallette), he offers one thing they don't—lights-out perimeter shooting. Suder improved from beyond the arc in each of his college seasons, and if he's able to find his footing again during his training camp stint with the Bulls, he should be able to easily outperform the unproductive Mallette in that setting.
Chicago, at the very least, needs to take some sort of upside swing with that final two-way spot. If Suder can shake off whatever was plaguing him during his time in Summer League, he could take on that mantle pretty quickly.
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