Chicago Bulls: G League update through 8 games
By Jason Elbaum
The NBA’s version of the minor league system is the NBA G League. The Chicago Bulls’ minor league affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, have started the season 3-5 and currently sit fourth in their division.
The Chicago Bulls announced the establishment of their own developmental NBA team for the 2016-17 season as the Windy City Bulls. In the team’s first season they went 23-27 while being led by head coach Nate Leonser.
The G League provides teams an opportunity to have flexibility with their roster by having the ability to sign players from the Windy City roster when an important player is injured. The system also lets the Bulls control the rights to players that may not blossom into superstars, but could fill the needs of a role player at any point during the season.
The 2017-18 edition of the Windy City Bulls features the addition of the two-way contract in the NBA, where two players from each organization are allowed to alternate time between the NBA and G League rosters. Chicago has designated guards Ryan Arcidiacano and Antonio Blakeney as players under two-way contracts, and these players feature as key players for the Windy City.
The G League team has started out the season playing solid team basketball, as they are seventh in the league in field goal percentage and fifth in assists per game. Head coach Fred Hoiberg consistently preaches playing together as a unit, so fans will be happy to see that the G League affiliate is sharing the basketball.
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Another important statistical note is that the team is fourth in 3-point shooting percentage. The G League is known for playing a style of basketball without a lot of defense and a great deal of 3-point shooting, so the team’s ability to knock these shots down consistently should lead to more wins going forward.
In terms of individual performances, Antonio Blakeney has starred in limited appearances for the Windy City Bulls, and this is because he has spent a majority of the season contributing to the professional team. However, Blakeney scored 35 and 44 points in his two games playing in the G League this season, making him the league’s current leading scorer at 39.5 points per game.
One player that will be contributing consistently for the Windy City Bulls is third-year forward out of Virgina Tech, Jarrell Eddie. Eddie is averaging 20.2 points and 4.0 rebounds. With no end in sight to the Nikola Mirotic–Bobby Portis saga, Eddie is worth keeping an eye on as a potential frontcourt option down the road this season.
Next: 2017-18 Week 6 NBA Power Rankings
The G League is an exciting, affordable, alternative for Bulls fans who want to experience NBA basketball. The Windy City Bulls play at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL and all of their games are broadcast on Facebook live. They take on the Westchester Knicks on Monday, Nov. 27.