DETROIT – The excitement in Dalen Terry’s voice was palpable.
New season, new jersey number, new outlook.
“The last two years I wasn’t being myself, I was trying to be what people wanted me to be, and it’s time for me to be myself,” The Bulls guard insisted back in October. “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.”
Fast forward barely a month, and it’s very clear that this season hasn’t started off anywhere near what Terry envisioned.
In what is the final year of his rookie contract, Terry has appeared in seven of the 11 games the Bulls have played but was only getting a sprinkling of minutes – up to 5.9 per game after 10 minutes in the embarrassing Detroit loss on Wednesday.
It’s wearing on him and how can’t it be? After all, the former first-round pick (18th in the 2022 draft) was grabbing 13.5 minutes per game last season and was a contributor in the team’s concept of depth over star power.
Rather than pout and sulk, however, Terry is trying to keep the big picture in perspective.
“I feel like it’s been a situation I’ve been in my whole life to be honest with you,” Terry said on Wednesday. “I feel like with this being a contract year and things not starting like you want them to, I feel like guys can go into a dark place, but I just look at it like, ‘Man, it’s just basketball and we’re winning right now.’ So my feelings aren’t really the priority. I just get my feelings out when I’m working out. Get in the gym as much as possible and just stay ready for any situation. Guys are in, guys are out, just being ready because knowing (coach) Billy (Donovan) can call me first, second or third quarter and I’ve got to be ready.”
That’s the resume builder Terry has to focus on. Even if he’s not in the future plans for the Bulls, he could be in the plans of 29 other teams, and they may call Bulls personnel to get a pulse of what he’s about beyond what he puts on film.
“Playing my role is real big for me,” Terry said. “I know what I’m capable of, I know I can do a lot more things, but that’s just not what the team needs me to do. I know if it was up to me, I would play in Chicago forever, but I want to carve my way out here as much as I can. If I do go to a different team and they see me, they’ll be like, ‘OK, this is your role.’ And I can do that. I just have to adapt to the different situation I’m in.”
The current situation he’s in is very much like Julian Phillips where it’s last guys in the rotation if Donovan goes deep into the bench that night.
Not an easy role for the high-energy Terry to deal with all the time. He’s not the sit-and-watch type, but he doesn’t have much choice right now.
“I think those guys staying professional, staying ready are really important,” Donovan said. “I like Dalen’s attitude. I think he had a good summer, worked hard. Sometimes opportunities present themselves in different ways. With some of the injuries we’ve had to endure he has to keep himself ready, and I think when he’s been called upon, he’s done a good job.”
He actually has in plus/minus, on the positive side of that category in three of the last four Bulls games, but will that buy him more minutes? That’s the wait-and-see as he heads into uncertainty as a restricted free agent this summer.
“All my career no one can say, ‘He doesn’t work hard,’ “ Terry added. “If I can just make sure that’s the narrative by the end of the year, no matter what my situation is, I’ll be OK.”