NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was the low point of the summer for Dalen Terry. Actually, it was rock bottom. He had come out of Las Vegas looking more like an undrafted free agent filling a July roster spot as a favor to an agent than the 18th pick of the 2022 draft putting in his second stint in the NBA Summer League. And he wore the disappointment like an uncomfortable parka.
Maybe it was the talks he had with his Bulls teammates after five disappointing summer games. Maybe it was another two weeks in Los Angeles working out with six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan at 3 a.m. every day. Or maybe it was just a young man having an epiphany. In any case, it suddenly dawned on Terry: “Just trust my work.”
And that’s how he took back his summer.
“It doesn’t sound right, but this was the best summer I ever had,” the guard/forward from Arizona said. “When it comes to what everybody saw, it wasn’t. . . . I had put all my eggs in one basket going into Summer League, and then when [things] didn’t go the right way, I felt like I had to sit down and regroup. I had to tell myself that there was a lot more summer left and a lot of things that I could work on. Once I took that step back and saw how things were going, I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to work on this, this, this.’ ”
So, after shooting less than 34% from the field in Vegas and struggling to find consistency, that’s what Terry did — he put his head down and worked.
That meant going back out to L.A., where he’d already spent some rigorous mornings with DeRozan, and then, when he was in Chicago, spending as much time as possible practicing at the Advocate Center.
“I was so worried about showing out [in the Summer League] because I wasn’t playing [as a rookie], and then finally, I was just like, ‘Man, at the end of the day, if you put your own work in, it’s going to show,’ ” he said. “My thing was to come to this training camp a different player. I want to be the guy that when I’m open, [I] don’t hesitate — just shoot it every time. Make or miss, shoot it.
“But honestly, I’ve been working so hard on my jump shot, I feel like every shot is going in. With the vets I have — DeMar, Zach [LaVine], [Nikola Vucevic] — they tell me, ‘Bro, the way you work out, it’s going to happen. Don’t know when it will work out, with all the vets on our team, but don’t worry about none of that. Just be yourself, and it will happen for you.’ ”
That’s where Terry currently stands in camp — working and waiting for something to happen.
“I think the game has slowed down for him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s worked really hard on his shooting. His shooting has gotten better. I still think he needs to continue to get better there, but there’s been some growth, just seeing what he’s been able to do.
“And the one thing that was good for him in Summer League was [that] a lot of his mentality was going out there trying to score, and just realizing, ‘You know what? There’s other things I need to do to try and impact the game.’ That experience was good for him.”
Good enough to break into the rotation?
That might be a tough get. Terry has vowed to move past “Did Not Play” status after spending most of last season on the bench. But the Bulls’ roster remains deep.
The difference this year is that he feels better equipped to handle it.
“Last year, I was killing myself when it came down to [not getting playing time], but I didn’t trust my work,” he said. “If I have to be honest, I didn’t trust my work. When this season starts, and if I’m not in the rotation, OK, cool. Just keep going, keep working. It’s going to all turn out how you want it to turn out. That’s just how it’s gonna go.”
