Bulls adding Terry Taylor on a two-way deal |
After making no moves at the trade deadline, the last few days have been busy for Chicago. You saw them acquire Patrick Beverley via the buyout market and, in the process, released Tony Bradley Jr. Then came Tuesday, when it was announced that Lonzo Ball would be shut down for the remainder of the season, which wasn't all that much of a surprise.
Later, the Bulls released Malcolm Hill, opening up another roster spot within the organization. That spot is no longer open as the Bulls elected to sign second-year forward Terry Taylor and gave him a two-way contract for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old Terry was formally with the Indiana Pacers organization and will now take over Hill's voided roster spot. The Bulls have seen Terry a few times this season, although most of it came in the G-League. Undrafted in 2021, Terry chose to sign with the Pacers organization, where he became a member of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. While there, Terry showed terrific potential and earned a call-up for the final 33 games of the season, where he would play in 23 of the team's last 25 games. During that stretch, Terry scored double-figure points 14 times and averaged double-figure points as he put together a stat line of 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 23.8 minutes per game. He also shot a highly efficient 64.1 percent from the field. The 64% shooting would be the highest shooting percentage on the Bulls current roster. Not only have the Bulls seen Terry plenty over the past two seasons, but you could argue that his best performance came against the Bulls last season. During a February 4 contest last season, Terry was a menace as he picked up 21 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists. Eight of those rebounds came on the offensive end, as he was tough to deal with offensively. Given those numbers from last season, you would think Terry had a great shot at sticking with the Pacers this season. However, as many professional athletes experience, there is a thing called a sophomore slump, and Terry seemed to be stuck in the middle of that this season. In 26 games this season, not only did Terry struggle to produce, but he struggled to see the floor, as he averaged less than nine minutes of action per contest. To their credit, the Pacers roster is loaded with plenty of young and talented players, so he needed to show something special to make a consistent impact. Knowing where this team sits in the standings and what they must overcome to make the postseason, the Pacers elected to waive him ahead of the February 9 deadline, making him free for the taking. Two-way deals tend not to work out, and no one will say this was a steal of a signing. However, the potential is there, and to see the Bulls invest in a player like this and add him to their organization could be beneficial down the road. Like Patrick Williams, he is An undersized big man who logged 84% of his minutes thus far in the front court. Given the state of the Bulls roster, Terry is another out-of-position type of player that will need to carve out a role on this team. Chicago already has guys like Derrick Jones Jr and Javonte Green on their roster, who are similar in size to Terry. The problem is that both have been hurt most of the second half, which has shortened the Bulls bench for the better part of 25 games. That could be the opportunity that Terry needs to get back in the league and prove he is worth taking a chance on beyond this season. Unlike Jones and Green, Terry looks to be a significantly better rebounder with a far more physically imposing frame. That doesn't mean he will come in here and produce right away. For a front office that has struggled to get much of anything done this season, this is a good move by Arturas Karnisovas and company as they added another young piece to evaluate the rest of the season.
