Following relatively fortunate luck when it comes to the injury bug to begin the season, the Chicago Bulls have been bitten twice in a matter of weeks, one far worse than the other. First, reserve forward Patrick Williams was injured in a pre-All-Star break loss against the Detroit Pistons.

Williams’s injury was initially deemed a bruise. However, it was later upgraded to tendinosis, which led to the forward receiving platelet-rich plasma injections to aid in the recovery of his injured right knee. Williams has been on the shelf since the February 12 bout with Detroit and isn’t expected to return to the lineup until March 6 at the earliest.

Furthermore, the second of the two injuries, Ayo Dosunmu’s, has ended his fourth professional season. The 25-year-old guard is slated to undergo surgery after imaging revealed instability in his left shoulder. Dosunmu missed three games as he dealt with a subluxation but returned to the lineup, only to play one game before being ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Numerous players have stepped up in the wake of injuries

With 6-foot-8 Williams out of the lineup, Head Coach Billy Donovan has increased Julian Phillips’ workload. The 21-year-old has played at least 20 minutes on four occasions since Williams has been sidelined. Kevin Huerter’s playing time has also seen a bump since the Florida State product has been nursing a knee injury.

With Dosunmu out, Donovan has turned to a collective of players. Tre Jones, who came to Chicago via the Zach LaVine trade alongside Kevin Huerter, played at least 14 minutes in Dosunmu’s absence. The former Spur impressed in a season-high 27-minute outing against the Indiana Pacers on March 2. Jones scored 11 points and added six assists in the loss.

Despite tallying 27 minutes, Jones wasn’t called upon to start in place of Dosunmu. With Lonzo Ball and Huerter both ruled out of the lineup due to injury, Donovan gave the start to 22-year-old Dalen Terry. In his fourth career start, Terry managed just two points, one rebound, and one assist in 19 minutes. He shot 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-2 from beyond the arc.

19 minutes were the most for Terry since the Bulls’ 32-point drubbing of the Philadelphia 76ers on February 24. In that contest, the combo guard notched 21 minutes and enjoyed the best game of his career. Terry scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out three assists. The 6-foot-7 guard converted 6-of-8 field goal attempts and all five free throws.

Injured Dosunmu gives Terry a boost of confidence prior to new role

Terry was unable to build on his breakout performance. He followed up his career-high in scoring with five points against the LA Clippers and a goose egg versus the Toronto Raptors. Although he struggled in back-to-back outings, Donovan’s confidence in Terry was enough to deem him a starter.

Besides his head coach, an injured Bull recently instilled confidence in the former first-rounder. According to Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson, Dosunmu texted Terry, “It’s your time,” following his season-ending injury diagnosis.

Instilling confidence in Terry is certainly a priority for the rebuilding Bulls. After being selected with the 18th overall pick in 2021, the former Arizona Wildcat has failed to live up to his draft pedigree. Terry has never averaged more than 5.0 points per game. He’s failed to make an impact and recently found himself outside of Donovan’s rotation.

Nevertheless, Dosunmu’s injury opens up 30.3 minutes per game. While Jones is surely on the receiving end of Dosunmu’s foregone playing time, there’s more to go around. Plus, with point guards Josh Giddey and Coby White already in the starting lineup, Terry is the more picturesque fit.

If Ball misses any additional time as the season comes to a close, expect Donovan to trot Terry out alongside the usual starters, Giddey, White, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic (once he returns from injury). Now is the time to decipher if Terry is worthy of a roster spot going forward.

Although the third-year guard has unsuccessfully carved out a role in Chicago, the fourth year of his contract was picked up by the Bulls in the offseason. The final 21 games of the 2024-25 campaign aren’t Terry’s last chance to make an impression. Nevertheless, the Bulls have already decided to keep him around, and now is perhaps Terry’s last best opportunity to prove he belongs.