After falling behind by 22 points in the first half and trailing the San Antonio Spurs by 15 at halftime, the Chicago Bulls rallied Tuesday for a 92-89 victory in the NBA Summer League.
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Here are three takeaways from the game.
1. DeMar DeRozan sits courtside.
Fresh off his 32nd birthday Saturday, new Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan made an appearance in Las Vegas for the start of Summer League. He sat courtside for Tuesday’s game surrounded by members of his new team: forward Troy Brown Jr., coach Billy Donovan, general manager Marc Eversley and executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karni ovas, among others.
His deal with the team became official Wednesday. A day earlier, DeRozan shared some insight into why he decided to join the Bulls.
“The talent,” he said after the game. “Obviously, great city, great organization. The history behind it is definitely amazing, but for sure the talent. Looking at players like Zach (LaVine) — I’ve been a fan of Zach since he’s been in the league. His growth. Just looking at the overall squad. Seeing (Nikola) Vucevic there, that was my teammate in college. So it’s been great.”
One player who definitely should benefit from DeRozan’s addition is Patrick Williams, who is entering his second season.
“He’s a really good wing in this league, and ultimately I want to be at the level that he’s at,” Williams said of DeRozan. “I’ll definitely ask some questions about how he plays in the mid-post and what he sees out there on the court. … A player of his caliber, I’m definitely excited to learn.”
2. Patrick Williams drops 30 in a strong showing.
After struggling to close out in the second half (0-for-7) of the Summer League opener, Williams was determined to put on a better showing in the second game.
And did he ever. He finished with 30 points and seven rebounds, including three straight buckets in crunch time to seal the game.
“When the game was in the crunch and we’re calling his number in the post, I thought he did a tremendous job,” Bulls assistant Damian Cotter said. “Really happy for Pat. And the last 24 hours for him, he really took it upon himself to be a better leader and take more responsibility as a performer in the second half.”
Cotter said he noticed Williams, who turns 20 this month, taking a leadership role during the team’s walkthrough before the game — encouraging signs for Williams’ development. Even though the Bulls will not count on him for such a large role during the season, they believe this is the kind of player he can grow into.
“It’s helpful for me now for this upcoming season and also my future,” Williams said. “The player that I want to be is the player that does this night in and night out. So just getting more reps at that, getting more comfortable with that, I think is just nothing but good for me.”
3. Ayo Dosunmu improves in his second game.
Dosunmu looked much more comfortable on the floor in his second Summer League game, providing a spark for the Bulls in the second half on defense and in transition.
He scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and added four steals, showing off his lightning-quick speed to get the team on the run or get to the basket himself.
“Early on in my rookie year, I’m going to try to do whatever it takes to get on the court,” Dosunmu said. “So if I’m defending the other team’s primary guard and just playing hard, that’s something I’m willing to do. But I want to consider myself a two-way player. On the defensive end, that’s all effort. You can control that each day. So that’s what I want to try to do.”
Since taking Dosunmu in the second round of the NBA draft two weeks ago, the Bulls suddenly have a much more crowded guard rotation. Dosunmu has taken note but still sees a path to breaking into the rotation.
“I saw the Bulls added a lot of guards, but I also did a lot of research,” Dosunmu said. “Coach Donovan, he loves to play a lot of three-guard offenses. I know if I just play hard and bring a lot of energy, then I know it will take care of itself.”
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