Former Bulls First-Round Pick Is Nearing Bust Status After Slow Start In 2023

The word bust is a severe label when it comes to professional sports. Obviously, 213 career minutes on the floor is incredibly too soon to pin that on a 21-year-old second-year player, but Dalen Terry's early signs this preseason are inching in that direction. With the 18th overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chicago took Benedict Mathurin's running mate at the University of Arizona, Dalen Terry. Initially selected for his length, athleticism, and defensive attributes, he's yet to showcase any of them professionally. After two concerning starts to begin the preseason, Terry's chances of seeing legitimate floor time for the Chicago Bulls are dwindling as the season approaches.

Terry's Roller Coaster Summer

Aside from the lack of size, Terry's offensive shortcomings were the main driver in his lack of floor time in his rookie season. He developed more of his scoring abilities for the Windy City Bulls and gained comfortability in his own game, with a stat line of 19.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per contest across his three games. His efficiency impressed at over 47% from the field and over 41% from deep, as his stock continued upward for a Chicago backcourt desperate for a consistent starting point guard.

During the 2023 Summer League, he was given the keys to the offense for the first time as a Bull. This is where the downhill slide began, only averaging 12.6 points per game on 33% from the field throughout the tournament. His final game ended in a 5-for-21, 17-points, two assists, three rebounds performance in an ugly 87-80 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Watching the youngster struggle against rookies and similarly unproven players across the league was a concerning sign for Bulls fans.

Scary Preseason Start

It would have been hard to imagine a worse start to the 2023 preseason than the one Dalen Terry is having. In his sophomore season, with hopes to earn some consistent minutes off the bench this year, his chances are not looking great early. Things got a bit better in last night's thrilling 2OT victory against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, but the entire body of work for the former Wildcat is not promising.

Before some late heroics from Terry, he'd quickly been having the worst two-game stretch on the team. Thinking that he can hold his own against NBA-caliber talent is far-fetched at this point, seeing his struggles against G-League-level talent guys during the preseason. Thus far, he's averaging 15.5 minutes, 4.5 points, three rebounds, and two assists per game on 4-of-14 shooting from the field. He scored or assisted on nine of Chicago's final 14 points of the victory, including his first three-point field goal of the year and an emphatic dunk down the stretch.

Yes, two preseason games and a handful of Summer League and G-League games are not much to form opinions on the young Dalen Terry's career, but the little evidence that's there is proof he's a long way from carrying a role on an NBA team. He'll continue to get spot minutes this season at the end of the bench and be a featured player on the Windy City Bulls, where, hopefully, he'll hone his craft enough to make an impact in Chicago as soon as possible.