CHICAGO — Dalen Terry looked to his right for inspiration inside the Chicago Bulls’ locker room, in the direction of Coby White’s stall.
If any of Terry’s teammates understand how to bounce back from difficult days, it’s the fifth-year point guard who has played himself into the conversation for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
“Coby White is really a guy that showed me that you could be at the bottom and come right back up,” Terry said.
After being selected with the 18th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Terry appeared in only 214 games as a rookie. He surpassed 500 minutes in Saturday’s 124-113 home loss to the Boston Celtics, with only 11 contests remaining in the Bulls’ regular season.
White, however, also has helped Terry with that.
“He’s always preached to me that I’m nice,” Terry said. “I tell him he’s nice. He tells me I’m nice. It’s just certain things that when your teammates are giving you certain levels of confidence, you just go with it.”
MEET ME AT THE RIM AND DON’T BE LATE.@NBCSChicago | @DalenTerry pic.twitter.com/qyRF47UjrD
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 24, 2024
Lately, the 6-foot-7 swingman is providing positive minutes for the injury-ravaged Bulls, showing his versatility in the process. Terry scored 12 points with three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 20 minutes off the bench. It was a modest but encouraging performance when coupled with the 17-minute effort Terry supplied in Thursday’s road loss to the Houston Rockets.
In both contests, Terry appeared more comfortable than ever. And it’s the flashes of improvement he’s showing that offer compelling evidence that he is finding his way.
“He’s taking advantage of his opportunities,” White said. “I feel like this whole season, whenever he’s gotten an opportunity, he’s been ready and he’s taken advantage of it. He’s playing with a lot of energy. He’s playing with ultra confidence.
“It’s not a surprise. He works hard every day. A lot of respect to him and his game. When you’re in that type of position, you’ve just got to stay ready for your moment. And the last couple of weeks, he’s been ready.”
Terry’s energy always jumps out. He battled for offensive rebounds in the first quarter, securing one and crashing hard before hitting the deck trying to squeeze another. But the way Terry is playing more under control has become equally noticeable.
Terry finished two smooth, driving layups in traffic in the opening quarter. You don’t have to go back to last season to find tape of Terry struggling with such finishes. He was erratic even at the start of this season. Terry said he simply read the flow of the game on both layups Saturday. Bulls coach Billy Donovan credited him for improving details of his game like that.
“He’s always had a great motor. He’s a great competitor. But sometimes you need more than that,” Donovan said. “And I think what he’s done is he’s been a lot more detailed in some of those areas. That’s helped him.”
Terry also pointed to a shift in his mindset.
“It’s all mental,” he said. “It’s all just blocking out the noise and trusting yourself. Just keep faith. Keep believing in what you’re going to achieve.”
Terry’s 3-point shot remains a work in progress. He made 1 of 3 attempts Saturday but has connected on only 24.1 percent on 1.2 attempts per game this season. He’s taking them with confidence. But he knows this is a results-based business.
“I definitely think I’m making some good progress,” Terry said. “I still just got to keep making shots. But I’m a lot more confident in it.”
As the season has worn on and Terry has filled in for a host of injured teammates, he seems to be more aware of when and how he can make an impact. The Bulls are allowing Terry to orchestrate the offense, serve as a screen-setter, play along the baseline and fly around defensively. His instincts, meanwhile, helped him throw down an emphatic two-handed dunk off a DeMar DeRozan missed jumper late in the third quarter. And he sprinted down the sideline to flush a dunk over Celtics guard Derrick White early in the fourth.
The dunk over White earned Terry a technical foul.
“He said I was on the rim too long,” Terry said of what an official told him.
But at the tail end of his second season, Terry is starting to prove he can contribute.
“I think he continues to get better,” Donovan said. “He works hard, and he’s pretty driven. And I think that’s always a good combination in terms of guys’ growth.”
(Photo: David Banks / USA Today)