It wasn’t an indictment of jersey No. 25 at all.
If anything, Bulls swingman Dalen Terry wore that number proudly to honor Chicago high school legend Benji Wilson.
The indictment was on the player Terry thought he was as No. 25. More specifically, on the player a lot of people around him wanted him to be.
Now he’s free.
Wearing lucky No. 7 is a part of that.
‘‘The last two years, I wasn’t being myself,’’ Terry said. ‘‘I was trying to be what people wanted me to be, and it’s time for me to be myself. That’s why I changed my number. Man, we’re going to leave that in the past. I’m trying to do what’s best for the team and not worry about pleasing everybody.’’
It’s a fine line Terry will walk this season: He might not have to please everybody, but he has to impress somebody.
There have been no serious discussions about a contract extension between the Bulls and Terry, whom they selected with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2022 draft. That means Terry will play out the season and go through restricted free agency. And a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow isn’t promised in this NBA landscape.
It’s up to Terry to catch the attention of the Bulls so they want to stay invested and showcase his skills for the 29 other NBA teams.
‘‘Hell, yeah, it’s a big year for me,’’ Terry said without hesitation.
He also has a pretty good player to try to model himself after in turning a ‘‘big year’’ into a successful one.
‘‘This is how I think everybody views it,’’ Terry said. ‘‘They view it as I’m not a guy that scores 20, 30 points. Well, I got drafted to be like [former Bulls guard] Alex Caruso: ‘OK, he can guard, he can do all the little things, he can be a connector.’ That’s what I strive to be this year.
‘‘Like, even [in the Bulls’ preseason victory Thursday against the Cavaliers], in my eyes, I played like [expletive]. But you look at the box score, and I’m guarding Donovan Mitchell. I was tough on him. Guarding De’Andre Hunter. I was tough on him. I have to live like that, you know?
‘‘I remember being in the locker room [when] AC was still here, and some days he would have six points and some days he would have 20 points. That’s just the way it’s going to be. I have to hang my hat on the defensive end. So when people try to put pressure on what I should be, I’m just going to be myself.’’
The sample size is small through the first week or two of camp and two preseason games, but Terry has been running in the second unit and had a game-saving block in the preseason opener.
He also knows that the Bulls want depth on the roster, so the playing time is going to be there as long as he performs.
‘‘It’s like everybody wants to be a star and score their 20, but, bro, just be a star in your role,’’ Terry said. ‘‘That gets paid. Teams want depth. I’m 6-7 [and] 23 years old, and I know that’s what teams are leaning toward. So you’ve got to understand that all the other [expletive] is plus. Everything else is plus. Scoring is plus.
‘‘If I’m hitting a three, getting downhill and dunking, it’s like, ‘OK, now we’re going to start having some different conversations.’ But if I’m in here and guarding the best guy, gaining the coach’s trust, I mean, we’ll be going in a positive direction if you ask me.’’