Former Timberwolves lottery pick Rob Dillingham continues to settle in with his new team, the Bulls. In his last three games, Dillingham has averaged 13 points and five assists while shooting 6-of-15 (40%) from three-point range, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes.
Dillingham has received steady playing time after getting traded last month, unlike his experience with Minnesota.
“I’m just thankful for Coach (Billy Donovan), honestly,” Dillingham said. “Giving me that leash, it’s like I’m renewed. I’ve been able to play freely. My mental when I’ve been out on the court has been bad like for the last couple months, so I’m just thankful that I’m able to play, able to add confidence, able to help us win, and really, I’m just thankful to learn and keep growing.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Another trade deadline acquisition, Jaden Ivey, will be a restricted free agent after the season if the Bulls issue a qualifying offer. Though he’s only played four games with Chicago due to left knee soreness, the organization continues to signal that it intends to retain him, Cowley reports. “The unfortunate part was that when he got here, you’re dealing with him coming into a completely new situation after the trade deadline and then trying to get acclimated,” Donovan said. “I mean, the intention when [made the trade] is this could be somebody that would be here for a while. How all this plays out with the contract in July and the free agency part of it, understanding he’s restricted, I don’t know. But our intention organizationally was, this is a guy we feel could be a very, very good player, and this guy’s got a pretty long runway of being somewhat youthful and young.” Ivey, currently sidelined, will be reevaluated next week.
- Mac McClung has been thriving in the NBA G League with the Windy City Bulls. Under a two-way contract with Chicago, the three-time dunk champion was named the G League’s Player of the Week (March 9-15) by averaging 38.3 points and 12.3 assists in three games, according to the league office (Twitter link). McClung was recognized as the G League’s Player of the Month for February.
- Rookie Noa Essengue was declared out for the season in early December due to a shoulder injury. However, he’s still working diligently on his comeback. Essengue was shooting and undergoing a full, non-contact workout after Bulls practice on Tuesday, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweets.