Late surge leads Bulls past Kings |
LAS VEGAS - Bulls win, Bulls Win, Bulls win. Chicago Bulls fans hope to hear that a lot this season, as there is still a lot to uncover with this team. Granted, the Bulls are 2-1 in Summer League play right now, but none of these games matter in the end, as things won't start counting until October.
Say what you will about the importance of the Summer League, but these players know how important things are. This isn't just an ordinary Summer League aimed to give players extra work. Instead, it is a league aimed at developing players on the roster fringe, hoping to make the NBA roster when training camp breaks. Things are no different for the Bulls, as Dalen Terry may be the only one safe from the G-League at this point. That means for everyone else on this roster, now is the time to audition for a spot on this team, as things will become more difficult once the preseason begins. After the Bulls together a sound first half that saw them lead by seven, the Kings turned the tables in the third and came out with a 31-22 advantage to seize a two-point lead. Terrible third quarters were all too common for this team a season ago, so to see them happening in the Summer League is a bit of Deja Vu. However, it isn't the first 36 minutes that matters, but instead all 48 as the Bulls came out with a dominating final quarter to pick up the 107-99 victory over the Kings. This was the first time the Bulls hit the Century mark while their defense has yet to give up 100 points this Summer. We have seen several players step up in the Summer League the past few seasons, and right now, Javon Freeman-Liberty is leaving his mark. An undrafted guard in 2022 from DePaul, Freeman spent his entire 2022-23 season with the Windy City Bulls, where he became a solid player. Despite his numbers, Freeman feels he is better than that, and so did a lot of scouts, as they thought he was a second-round pick on draft night. Freeman was on a mission from start to finish, leading all scorers with 28 points in the win. He also added six assists, and should he prove he can do this in training camp, you are looking at a great bench option. Two other players that are starting to turn heads are rookies Julian Phillps and Adama Sanogo. Sanogo has been very consistent since the start of the Summer League and continued that with a 15-point nine rebound showing. Phillips, on the other hand, had his breakout game after struggling in his debut. Known for his defense-first attitude, Phillips showed he could also score as he added 16 points while knocking down a perfect 3-3 in triples. Phillips added four rebounds but also committed four fouls in what was otherwise a great night. Chicago also saw Nate Darling continue to put on a show, as his 16 points gave the Bulls four starters in double figures. Darling connected on four of his six triples as the Bulls knocked down 16 triples on 30 attempts. That is an area the Bulls hope to improve on this season, so that was a start. While it was nice to see Phillips and Freeman continue to emerge, you have to wonder if fans are starting to worry about Dalen Terry. Not only has he struggled to shoot the ball all Summer, but Terry had his worst showing of the Summer on Tuesday as he came away with just four points. He added seven rebounds and five assists as that part of his game was on point, but the rest was a struggle at best. Like the Bulls, the Kings had a balanced scoring attack with a trio of guys putting the ball in the bucket a ton. Jordan Ford had the hot hand for the Kings as he led the way for Sacramento with 25 points. Ford connected for better than 50% of his three-point attempts while adding eight assists in what was a great showing. Along with Ford came a strong performance off the bench where Mike Daum went to town. The 6-9 F/C gave the Bulls fits in the paint and finished with 22 points to lead a bench that came away with 39 total points. Daum not only showed his physicality on the inside, where he came away with seven rebounds, but also displayed a tremendous outside touch that continues to be part of the NBA game. Second-year man Keon Ellis was the final player to land in Double Figures for the Kings, adding 19 points in the loss. Chicago will close out their pool play contests on Thursday with a game against the Cavaliers before playing one more game to end the Summer.
