MILWAUKEE – It definitely wasn’t how Dailyn Swain imagined watching his first NBA game as a member of the Bulls.
“I watched it on TV,” Swain said on Friday. “It was just tough not being there. It’s definitely weird to watch the team you play for on TV in a different city.”
Illness kept the rookie back in Chicago for that opening-season beating at the hands of the Raptors, but he was able to rejoin the team in Milwaukee and finally get his first ever NBA experience, albeit on the bench.
There is a plan in place for the No. 15 overall pick, however.
Well, sort of.
As long as the current rotation stays relatively healthy, Swain will see a lot of his early-season minutes in the G League once that tips off in a few weeks.
“It’s hard to map right now because you never know who is going to be available, who is not, but yeah, we plan to have him play in the G League, plenty of minutes, getting reps at different positions,” coach Tiago Splitter said.
Not that it’s much of a surprise for Swain. He was forced into a primary ball-handling role in Summer League and struggled, and then with Tre Jones on the shelf at the start of the preseason, again Swain saw the back-up point guard spot with mixed results.
“Now in the G league, when he goes there, I think you gotta try everything,” Splitter said. “But it is true that when you’re the first ball-handler, you make more decisions, and I think you develop more. Now, his future, his position in the NBA, I think he’s a very versatile player, he can play in different positions – on the ball, off the ball – and this is how we see him.”
As far as how Swain sees himself? Whatever it takes to get better.
“Anything to help me develop, that’s a positive thing,” he said of going to the G League. “Anything that helps my growth, I’m OK with that.”
**Nothing to see here**
Splitter knows that guard Josh Giddey has been dealing with a left wrist issue but didn’t deem it anything serious or to be concerned about.
Giddey told reporters that he injured the wrist early in the preseason and had been working through it. He didn’t miss preseason time or show up on the injury report, so it couldn’t have been that serious. A point Splitter confirmed.
“I’m not seeing it affect his play,” Splitter said. “I understand that he’s got something on his wrist, but I don’t think he’s having any issues playing basketball there.”
**Early impressions**
Of all the younger bench guys on the roster, it sounds like Splitter might already have a favorite in big Tobe Awaka.
The fact that Awaka – a two-way contract player – was one of the few bright spots in the loss in Toronto with six offensive rebounds, didn’t go unnoticed.
“I love it,” Splitter said of the rookie from Arizona. “He plays hard, he competes every possession. He goes to the board. He’s just a soldier, and he’s going to have chances. I wish everybody would bring the same spirit that he does.”
**Boys of summer**
Despite the Bucks having a game in Philadelphia on Saturday night, rather than flying out right after the game against the Bulls – the standard for all NBA teams – Milwaukee’s front office allowed the players to go and attend Game 1 of the World Series between the Brewers and Rays at American Family Field at 7 p.m.
The team charter was scheduled to then leave later that night, well after the baseball game.
[](https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/joe-cowley)
Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Bulls reporter