Bulls fall to Grizzlies in Summer League action |
LAS VEGAS - It's a good thing that the Summer League standings don't count for anything apart from player development because the Chicago Bulls offense is currently struggling. Twenty-four hours after having to grind out a win against the Toronto Raptors, the Bulls were back on the floor to take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
The defense was the story for the second straight day as the Bulls failed to reach 90 points in their 87-80 loss. The good news, their defense has looked outstanding through two games which wasn't always the case a season ago. A lot of the Bull's struggles last season came in the second and third quarters, which ironically was not an issue in this one. Those were the quarters that the Bulls played the best in as they outscored the Grizzlies 40-33 in those quarters. The problem was how they started and finished, as the Bulls were outscored by 14 points in those quarters, which doesn't bode well for a team desperate for player development within their young guys. If you had to give the Bulls an early Summer League star award, Javon Freeman-Liberty is making a case for that. The second-year man from DePaul had a fantastic rookie season in the G-League last year and is now trying to earn a spot on the Bulls roster. He led all scorers with 24 points and knocked four triples in the loss. He also added six rebounds and five assists to put his full arsenal on display. Although Dalen Terry struggled to shoot the ball consistently in this one, he still put together a solid game which is crucial for the Bulls and their success this season. Terry finished with 17 points but didn't do much of anything else. The final player to land in double figures for the Bulls was also a starter, with Nate Darling grabbing that honor. After leading the team with 15 points on Friday, Darling responded with 10 more as he continued to display a terrific outside touch. Undrafted free agent Adama Sanogo has put on quite a show as he looks to be a valuable asset. Granted, he only scored eight points, but after pulling down 12 rebounds, he could be a much-needed presence on the inside off the bench. Julian Phillips also made his Summer League debut and gave the Bulls 24 minutes. Although he only scored two points, his defense was impressive, which is what he was known for in college. Like the Bulls, the Grizzlies had three players land in double figures, all coming in the starting lineup. Kenneth Lofton Jr put on a show, leading the way for Memphis with 23 points. At 6-8 and 275 pounds, Lofton Jr is a load on the inside and will give the Grizzlies an excellent interior presence off the bench. Joining Lofton Jr in terms of double figures was Jake LaRavia, who chipped in with 15 points. His stat line is impressive because he did that on just 3-13 shooting, as the shots were not falling for him. He did manage to go 8-8 from the free-throw line, which made things easier for his team. Jacob Gilyard may have had the most impressive line of the night for the Grizzlies, even though he only finished with 11 points. What he did with the ball in his hand stands out the most as he dished out eight assists and was the engine that made the Memphis tick. GG Jackson added nine points off the bench as the Grizzlies did what they had to do to pick up a win. The Bulls will get two days off before returning to the floor on Tuesday as they will take on the Sacramento Kings for game three of their four-game Summer League slate. Look for Phillips and Terry to continue to get a lot of looks while the rest of this roster still needs to fall into place.
