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Is Dalen Terry an NBA level player and if he isn't right now will he reach it?

He's an NBA-level player, just not a good one. Yet.

Right now you can throw him out there for spot minutes to provide a spark with his energy and motor or as another lengthy versatile defender when needed. That is a role at the NBA level. Not a big one, but a role nonetheless. Maybe someday he will become a good player or maybe not, but there is a lot to like if he ever develops a consistent shot and learns to play under control.

Regardless, most non-lottery picks don't amount to much so it's best to have modest expectations.

IMO, he is. Right now he's a 14th/15th man sorta guy. I think two things stand between there and a rotation level player, and those are:

1) A reliable (i.e. 36%) 3pt shot
2) Learning to play in the half court without the ball in his hands/needing to dribble.

GoBlue72391 wrote:He's an NBA-level player, just not a good one. Yet.

Right now you can throw him out there for spot minutes to provide a spark with his energy and motor or as another lengthy versatile defender when needed. That is a role at the NBA level. Not a big one, but a role nonetheless. Maybe someday he will become a good player or maybe not, but there is a lot to like if he ever develops a consistent shot and learns to play under control.

Regardless, most non-lottery picks don't amount to much so it's best to have modest expectations.

Late picks are difficult to predict, but there are exceptions. Walker Kessler seems to be good. Butler was taken at 30. I know...they're exceptions to the rule, but it happens.

Hopefully he improves and finds a place in the rotation.

I like DJJ and Javonte better, and they're still unsigned. Dalen needs to improve big time.

He's a NBA level role and rotational player.I believe that's his ceiling.

I think people are taking his summer league production (or lack thereof) a little out of hand.

The team has clearly put him in a position to do things he won't be asked to do in the upcoming season. It's to expand his game and to work on reps in situations that he won't be in during the season, but something he can continue to work on, because he aint playing point guard for us.

I'm not down on him because of summer league, and I'm not going to take his play there as some sort of indicator that he is a lost cause. I actually think he is going to play a role this upcoming season, as a defensive high energy player, who will rebound and push the ball, make passes, and hit the occasional layup and 3 pointer.

Now will he become a starter level player? There isn't enough there to suggest he will for a few years, but I think he is versatile enough, where if he is able to get his shot to at least an average level, he does so much else on the floor, he will have a long career.

Ceiling is a poor man’s Draymond Green.

GoBlue72391 wrote:but there is a lot to like if he ever develops a consistent shot and learns to play under control.

Regardless, most non-lottery picks don't amount to much so it's best to have modest expectations.

Many a draft pick failed to develop a reliable jumper. Probably the biggest obstacle to sticking in the league is inability to reliably shoot. Additionally, statistically, he's not likely to sign a 2nd contract with the Bulls- which you alluded to in your post. Modest expectations is the right view.

I really don't know. I'd say we're in some no man's land right now with the farm. Either AKME are long-game geniuses, or this is going to be the worst track-record of 5-year prospect development... since GarPax's 5 years before these 5 years. *sigh*

Dalen has some interesting attributes with the length, vision and decent handles. If you took Haliburton and 2K'd his handles down to 65, reduced 3P shooting down to 50, finishing/close-range down to 60, and minus'd his speed by 10, you'd have Terry.

Obviously for him, his best case is becoming a successful high-volume 3P shooter like Lonzo. Of course it took 5 years for Lonzo to make it elite. Just in time to retire.

Shooting is not easy to develop. But guys who work adamantly and up their percentages, it's usually a 4-6 year process. Even good shooters like Lauri, Doug, Portis and Niko needed time. Mikal didn't start lighting it up until his 3rd season. BTW - some of these guys were old rookies. Let alone low-volume/low-percentage guys like Ariza, Jimmy, Artest, Rondo, etc. -- just takes a while. Also, good to note that these guys all emerged after playing with elite players, which is the big argument for keeping Demar/Zach/Caruso/culture (and only letting them go in a lateral move, with an equal caliber player/mentor). And for Jimmy, I think he took a little bit from everybody to become the player he is today (Thibs, Rose, Deng, Noah, Pau, Wade, Embiid, Riley/Spo -- lot of star mentorship there). I don't think it's a surprise that Lauri left the mediocre mill, got a taste playing with/against Mobley, Jarrett, Garland, and realized he could hang.

So theoretically the 19 year olds are on an orange juice diet. The big question is whether these guys are worth that kind of time, because they've seriously underperformed in various areas.

Which brings me back to my first sentence. It's entirely possible that Terry, Coby and Patrick are ballers in 2026. Or they're somewhere else without a good return, and Bulls just wasted their time.

Unproven. His summer league play means little to me. It's the furthest things from NBA basketball. I just watched Malaki Branham shoot 1-17 FG, a player that showed flashes of a good future last season with San Antonio.

The role he is playing right now will never be something he'll do in the NBA. A low usage, offensive connector is his role, just as did in college. My worry is his jumper, form looks better but consistency will obviously be the key. Fwiw, his defense could be really good. Either way, as of now he's not in the rotation.

Gotta love a reactionary post.

DT is a little rough around the edges, but all the tools are there, he worked on his shooting in the offseason which was one of his weaknesses and he clearly has the desire to be better, he wouldn't have been working out with DeMar if he didn't.

The dude hasn't even started his 2nd season (or played his 39th NBA game yet), and already people are throwing him under the bus.

I'm a firm believer that Dalen is going to be a good NBA basketball player.

I get the Josh Childress vibes. Maybe, that's his ceiling as of now.

Midwest219 wrote:I get the Josh Childress vibes. Maybe, that's his ceiling as of now.

That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

NBA level? Maybe. Rotation level, definitely not. And I honestly don't see a scenario where he becomes one.

I think he's probably barely at an NBA level, but him being buried as a third-stringer is way more preferable for us than trotting out guys at level for heavy rotation minutes like we did with guys like Jerian Grant, Paul Zipser, Bulls-era Cam Payne, Valentine, Felicio, etc. seasons ago.

Maybe. I’ve never been very impressed with him but he shows enough in flashes that it could work out. Seems like he’ll put in the work at least so we’ll see. But I’m not optimistic that he’ll ever matter.

At the moment not really.

He could grow to be one. But overall he seems very low ceiling.

4th/5th option who isn't a defensive anchor is a very dumb archetype to draft highly.

I don't base anything on summer league action.

Right now I'd put him on the floor as the 5th option with 4 scorers. No responsibility except playing defense and moving the ball within the offense. He doesn't have his jump shot but he brings athleticism and hustle which helps a team at times.

No. He's not even worth a minimum salary.

We should look to see if we can trade him for nothing or a future 2nd rounder or not even pick up his option for year 3.