Darling’s Steady Play, Caruso’s Defense Ranks Insanely High, Rebounding Stats, and Other Bulls Bullets

Chicago Bulls, I forgive you.

You made me quite mad with that 9:00 p.m. CT tip-off on Tuesday, which happened to be the same day I arrived home from a tiring Las Vegas trip. But you’ve now officially made it up to me with a 2:00 p.m. CT tip-off!

LET’S SCORE SOME MID-DAY BUCKETS!

  • The Chicago Bulls are 2-1 thus far in Summer League and fresh off easily their best-looking win against the Sacramento Kings. While Dalen Terry’s struggles to find the bottom of the next continued on Tuesday night, both Julian Phillips and Adama Sanogo showed some genuinely encouraging flashes. The hope now is that the two can only continue to show growth over these final two games of Summer League. And, to be clear, that growth doesn’t have to come tied to a better box score than the one we saw earlier this week. Summer League is often about the intangibles, so I’ll have my eye on exactly how confident and comfortable both look after a strong performance.
  • I said in yesterday’s bullets that I would type up a post about what we saw from Phillips and Sanogo, but that was before I remembered today’s 2:00 p.m. CT game. I’m now going to wait until we get this afternoon’s game under our belt before I write a solo post. I just wanted to clarify that for all the people who have been endlessly refreshing BN for the past 24 hours.
  • A name I probably haven’t given enough love to during Summer League is Nate Darling. He was a name I specifically mentioned in our Summer League players to watch, and he’s justified that over his first three games. None of his performances have been particularly jaw-dropping, but they have been rather consistent. Darling has averaged 13.6 points per game thus far in the starting lineup and has pretty much looked like a net positive when on the floor. While he’s best known for his 3-point shooting, which was on display with a 4-6 showing against the Kings, he’s made an impact across the court. He shot 4-5 at the free throw on Tuesday, dished 4 assists against Memphis, and had 2 steals in a +8 showing against the Raptors.
  • Again, Darling hasn’t dominated, but he’s provided solid play that I have to imagine has caught the eye of a few teams around the league. Add in the fact that he shot 38.8 percent on a whopping 8.5 3PAs per game in the G-League last season, and he might have a two-way contract coming his way. I’d say it also doesn’t hurt that he provides solid positional size at six-foot-five. As great of a season as Carlik Jones (who stands just six feet tall) had in the G-League last year, it could be easier for someone like Darling to carve himself out a role simply due to his wider frame.
  • I’m pretty shocked we haven’t seen more of Tyree Appleby. The guard out of Wake Forest was one of the bigger-name additions to the Chicago Bulls’ Summer League squad. Not only was he First-Team All-ACC last season, but he dished 6.4 assists per game. When we consider his downhill speed and transition playmaking skills, he felt like the kind of talent Chicago would prioritize getting a closer look at. I guess the ascent of Javon Freeman-Liberty hasn’t helped open up playing time for Appleby, but there is still room for him to contribute more off the bench. Perhaps the Bulls will use these final two games to give him more of a chance.
  • Dalen Terry sure looked happy to have all that sophomore power.
  • BBall-Index’s plot chart here does a great job illustrating just how elite Caruso’s defensive play has been. On a nightly basis, he accepts the toughest assignments and flourishes in that role. This past season’s First-Team All-Defense nod should be the first of many. Heck, if Marcus Smart can win the Defensive Player of the Year award, I don’t see why a player like Caruso can’t enter that discussion in the future. Remember, Dunks & Threes put Caruso as the NBA’s top defender this season with a +4.1 estimated defensive plus-minus, which ranked in the 99th percentile. This sat ahead of OG Anunoby, Draymond Green, and Jaren Jackson Jr., respectively. Those are the exact kind of names Caruso should be mentioned alongside moving forward.
  • Another good plot here from BBall Index. The Chicago Bulls ranked all season long as one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the NBA, and this was largely thanks to Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. Having said that, I still wouldn’t have considered Chicago an above-average rebounding squad. They have really been missing guards and wings who can help crash the boards. This was another underrated area that took a big hit with Lonzo Ball went down, as he was second on this team in rebounds before he went down. Fortunately, I do think the addition of Torrey Craig will give the Bulls another option to clean the glass on both ends. Julian Phillips could also make an immediate impact in that category with his springy athleticism.
  • Coby White throwing shade!
  • Imagine just bumping into this crew on vacation …
  • *Squidward voice* FUUUUTTTUUUURREEEEE.
  • Ew, I have to watch Aaron Rodgers on Hard Knocks …
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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