In today’s era of rapid player movement, it isn’t uncommon for an NBA team to look completely different from one year to the next.
However, few teams endured the offseason makeover that the Chicago Bulls did this past cycle. Three of the team's top six players in minutes played from last year now sport different uniforms, effectively ending that epoch of Bulls’ basketball.
One of the remnants from the old guard is Dalen Terry, who, in Year Three, is finally receiving consistent minutes (playing in all 24 of the team’s games up to this point). This promotion has been a blessing to Terry, who has struggled to truly make a name for himself since being drafted 18th in the 2022 NBA Draft.
“All I ask for is opportunity,” told me in an exclusive interview for Forbes.
Many folks may look at Terry’s experience on paper and expect him to have already developed into a full-fledged NBA player. But those folks fail to understand the difference between watching on the sidelines and actually being able to go through the motions at full speed on the basketball court.
“You have to understand, this is my first year really playing. A lot of people may not look at it like that, but there is only so much that you can learn while sitting on the bench,” Terry explained. “Now, I’m finally getting the chance to learn and grow by consistently being on the court.”
To Terry, this isn’t just the beginning of a new era of Bulls’ basketball. It’s also his unofficial rookie year — a chance for him to put all the lessons he’s learned during his countless hours of film study to the test.
Dalen Terry Adidas Holiday Event.Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls not only field different players, but they also play a completely different style. After shooting the fourth-most midrange shots in 2023-24, the Bulls are now stepping behind the line and trading those long twos for smart threes — taking the third-most threes in the NBA this year (per Cleaning the Glass).
Not only have they cleaned up their shot diet, but they are playing faster than ever before — only the Memphis Grizzlies take a higher frequency of their shots with between 22 and 18 seconds left on the shot clock than the Bulls.
As a premier athlete with great physical tools (he’s got a 7’1 wingspan) and an affinity toward finishing at the rim (97th percentile in rim frequency among wings), this style shift is perfect for Terry.
“I played like that in college, and I’m very young and athletic. So, playing like this is a better fit for me and my strengths.”
Everyone wants to play fast (because it generates more efficient shots for your offense), but few teams can consistently execute this initiative because it’s hard to achieve the level of conditioning necessary to stampede up and down the floor like the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. Fortunately for head coach Billy Donovan and his staff, the roster is littered with diligent players like Terry who can reach the level of intensity they are asking for.
“It’s hard to do a ton of conditioning during the regular season because of how crazy the schedule is. We did a lot of conditioning in training camp, but I was kind of already doing that in the offseason because coach told us in the summer that he planned on playing much faster this season and that we would be running a lot more,” Terry revealed.
Along with their pristine conditioning, the Bulls can play with pace because they have floor generals who can swiftly ignite the offense.
One of those gentlemen is Josh Giddey — the player that the team got in return for Alex Caruso. While many scoffed at the Bulls for only getting him in return, the fourth-year supersized guard has been exactly who the team needs to run their offense (which ranks 10th in offensive efficiency this year).
“Playing with Giddey has been great. He plays the same way I like to play — by pushing the pace with the pass,” Terry said. “A lot of times, with a player of his size (Giddey is 6’8), you get a rebound and have to give the ball to someone else to bring it up. But with Giddey, he gets to crash the glass and then get the ball and go. Having that is a lot better for the offense, especially an offense like this.”
One of the other conductors of this symphony is the frontrunner for the comeback player of the year award (if the NBA had such an honor), Lonzo Ball. After missing nearly three years of basketball with a gruesome knee injury, the former number 2 overall pick has returned and doesn’t look too far off his elite role player old self.
“His comeback is so inspirational. So many people told him that he would never play again,” Terry told me. “To see him not only back on the court again, but still playing defense, still pushing the pace, still communicating, it’s truly amazing.”
The Bulls' revamped offense has allowed the team to vastly outperform their offseason expectations. The team that was once viewed as a strong candidate to win the tank for Cooper Flagg sweepstakes is now firmly etched into the play-in picture (8th in the Eastern Conference).
Still, even with their unexpected success, there have been rumors swirling about the team’s veterans (namely Ball, Nikola Vucevic, and Zach LaVine) being on the trading block.
Dalen Terry Adidas Holiday Event.Chicago Bulls.
At first thought, Terry seems immune to these discussions, given his status as a young player on a team that is looking to go in that direction. But in a game where teams need to match salaries in order to make trades, Terry is wise enough not to let his guard down.
“One thing people don’t talk about is that in a lot of these big trades, there is always one young guy who gets thrown in there. There is always a first, second, or third-year player that gets traded, too.”
Despite the possibility that he or one of his beloved teammates may get moved before the deadline, trade rumors aren’t really a topic of discussion among Terry and his teammates.
“That’s just something that comes with signing contracts. We players don’t even really talk about it because it’s the NBA, and trades are a part of the job. At the end of the day, we are still going to get paid and still going to get to play the game that we love.”
Until something officially happens, though, Terry and the Bulls are focused on one thing and one thing only: making the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
Dalen Terry Is Giving Back To The Chicago Youth
Like his teammate Ayo Dosunmu, Terry takes a great deal of pride in giving back to the youth of his team’s home city. This past Tuesday, Terry hosted 25 students from Simeon High School for an exclusive, private shopping spree at Adidas’ Chicago Store. Adidas closed the store to the public, and each student was given 500$ dollars to enjoy a shopping spree guided by Terry himself. Terry also did a Q&A with the kids, and at the end of the event, he surprised them with tickets to an upcoming Bulls game.
Dalen Terry Adidas Holiday Event.Chicago Bulls.
“We picked 25 kids because that is my jersey number and the jersey number of my uncle’s deceased high school classmate, Ben Wilson,” Terry explained.
For those who are unaware, Wilson was a prominent high school basketball player who was widely considered the best player in the country in 1984 before being tragically killed in a shooting. Wilson and Terry’s uncle went to Simeon together. Nick Anderson, Derrick Rose, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Jabari Parker (among others) all also went there.
“Doing this event meant a lot to my uncle,” Terry said. “He’s always happy when I give back to the community, especially when I’m giving back to Simeon. Growing up, my uncle had me watch the Benji Wilson documentary and made sure I knew everything about Rose and the history behind all of that. I knew everything about Simeon, Rose, Wilson, and the Bulls long before I started playing for them.”
Regardless of where his next community project takes place, Terry wants to make sure that it involves working directly with the youth.
“My goal is to be more involved with the children of my community because I want them to realize that, at the end of the day, I’m just a human being,” Terry emphasized. “A lot of people think that NBA players are superheroes, but we’re just like them. And if they work hard enough, they can be in the NBA just like I am.”