It’s a reasonable assessment—and one that’s shared by a decent chunk of people in and around the league—that the Chicago Bulls are one of the worst-run teams in the NBA.

There are myriad reasons: The front office can’t win a trade or hit on a high draft pick. Or even make a trade or acquire a high draft pick, for that matter. Some players are handed contracts they haven’t earned or deserve. Others, who obviously need more on-court seasoning, are stuffed at the end of the bench.

Most often, though, Chicago’s current decision-makers are criticized for a lack of commitment to any sort of direction. The franchise has been, and continues to be, stuck in NBA purgatory—too bad to compete but too good to tank.

The Bulls find themselves in the same situation this season, as even a “tank” by this regime’s standards will likely result in a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament for the third consecutive year.

Whether Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas is naive, stubborn, lying or some combination of all three, this team is still trying to win games (whether it does or not is almost an aside at this point).

While Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones and Zach Collins—the three players Chicago received in the Zach LaVine trade—are being loaded with minutes, younger players with untapped potential are relegated to a background role. Are those inexperienced players going to contribute to winning basketball at this point in their careers? Absolutely not.

Does that make throwing them out on the floor anyway a more logical course of action? Unquestionably.

3 Bulls who need more minutes so Chicago can avoid another Play-In spot

This trio of youngsters is the perfect example of the players who coach Billy Donovan must dust off down the stretch of the 2024-25 campaign. They’ll gain valuable experience, learn where they can improve and give the organization a chance to see whether they’re worth keeping around for the long haul.

All that while helping the Bulls lose games, hopefully miss the Play-In and land a higher draft pick.

1. Dalen Terry

Dalen Terry is a former first-round pick who’s only 22 years old but in his third NBA season. He’s 6-foot-7 and versatile enough offensively to play anywhere from point guard to wing. That same versatility applies defensively.

He’s a potential-laden ball of clay waiting to be molded, but that process can’t happen when he’s sitting on the pine.

Terry has only played in 151 games over his two and a quarter seasons under Donovan and is averaging just 10.4 minutes. In three of the Bulls’ last five contests, though, the former Arizona star has played 21, 18 and 18 minutes, including one start on March 2 against the Indiana Pacers.

In Chicago’s 32-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Terry scored 17 points and added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. It was the best game of his career and shows his ceiling if he’s given a true opportunity.

Playing him more down the stretch of the regular season would allow him that opportunity, but his struggles would also likely lead to Bulls losses.

Win-win.

2. Julian Phillips

Julian Phillips is the only player currently on Chicago’s roster who fits the true 3-and-D archetype. The second-year pro out of Tennessee has gotten more run than Terry but has still been a bit player at best under Donovan. Also like Terry, he has all the physical tools necessary to develop into a high-level role player, if not a starter.

Phillips is a long, lanky 6-foot-8 athlete. In 13.4 minutes per game across 59 contests this season, he’s averaging 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 33.0 percent from three. Per 36 minutes, Phillips is averaging 11.9 points and 5.5 rebounds and, most importantly, 1.9 stocks (steals plus blocks).

The 21-year-old needs time to develop his outside shot and learn to play NBA-level defense, but like Terry, it would be far more useful to the Bulls for him to do that during actual games.

3. Jalen Smith

Smith has been Chicago’s backup center all season and perhaps its most underrated player. The 24-year-old has appeared in 53 games in relief of Nikola Vucevic and has been productive enough to warrant a more signicant role.

His per-36 averages of 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 blocks would make him a starter on most rebuilding teams.

Vucevic has missed the last four games with a calf injury; logically, Smith would be next in line for starter-level minutes. Not so fast, though, as Donovan has chosen to roll with Collins, who only joined the team when LaVine was traded a month ago.

Smith is still young, on a cheap contract and has proven enough in his reserve role. He should be getting more run than Collins, who may not even be in a Bulls uniform at the start of next season.