Dailyn Swain
Bulls rookie Dailyn Swain will continue to sit and wait for his opportunity but it will undoubtedly come in the G League initially, according to his coach.
MILWAUKEE — It definitely wasn’t how rookie guard Dailyn Swain imagined watching his first NBA game with the Bulls.
‘‘I watched it on TV,’’ Swain said Friday of the Bulls’ season opener Wednesday against the Raptors in Toronto. ‘‘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 Swain in Chicago for that game, but he was able to rejoin the Bulls in Milwaukee and finally get his first NBA experience — albeit on the bench.
There is a plan in place for Swain, 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 couple of weeks.
‘‘It’s hard to map right now because you never know who is going to be available [and] 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 the Summer League and struggled. Then with guard Tre Jones injured at the start of the preseason, Swain served as the backup point guard with mixed results.
‘‘Now in the G League, when he goes there, I think you’ve 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.’’
And how does Swain see himself? He’s willing to do whatever it takes to get better.
‘‘Anything to help me develop,’’ he said of going to the G League. ‘‘Anything that helps my growth, I’m OK with that.’’
Nothing to see here
Splitter knows point guard Josh Giddey has been dealing with an injury to his left wrist but didn’t deem it anything serious.
Giddey told reporters he injured the wrist early in the preseason and had been working through it. He didn’t miss any preseason time or show up on the injury report, so it couldn’t have been that serious — something 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 as though Splitter already might have a favorite in rookie forward Tobe Awaka.
The fact that Awaka, a player on a two-way contract, was one of the few bright spots in the Bulls’ loss to the Raptors with six offensive rebounds didn’t go unnoticed.
‘‘I love it,’’ Splitter said. ‘‘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 Saturday in Philadelphia, rather than the team flying out right after the game against the Bulls, the front office allowed the players to attend Game 1 of the World Series between the Rays and Brewers at American Family Field.
The Bucks’ charter was scheduled to leave well after the baseball game.