Julian Phillips seldom gets playing time for the Chicago Bulls. But when he does, the 20-year-old newcomer leaves a strong impression.
It only took a few minutes for Phillips to make a mark in Sunday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, leaping through the air for a two-handed volleyball-style block. And Phillips made another memorable impression on the United Center crowd in the early minutes of Tuesday’s 118-107 defeat to the Toronto Raptors, making a 3-point shot and drawing a foul to earn his first points in the opening quarter.
Initial impressions matter. But if the Bulls are going to survive the roughly two weeks left before the All-Star break, Phillips will need to play a substantial role.
The Bulls are currently playing without a power forward as both Patrick Williams and Torrey Craig are out with injuries for at least two more weeks. Coach Billy Donovan plans to use a combination of Phillips and guard Alex Caruso to fill the position.
It’s challenging for a team to rely on the consistency of a 20-year-old newcomer. But Phillips has demonstrated in his first two games standing in for Williams that he can consistently provide one crucial element: energy.
“Young players are bound to have their ups and downs,” Donovan said. “Sometimes for younger players, these situations create opportunities, and I give him credit for staying prepared and giving us a really good boost off the bench. So I have a lot of confidence in him in terms of the way he has worked to prepare himself to go in there. I think his athleticism and his energy, if we get that into the game on a regular basis, that will be just as important as making shots.”
Phillips scored nine points and grabbed a rebound off the bench in Tuesday’s loss. Here are three other things to take note of.
1. The concern for the Bulls is heightened due to Dalen Terry’s injury.
The Bulls suffered another injury setback in the last 30 seconds of the third quarter when Dalen Terry appeared to hurt his right ankle.
Terry sprinted down the court to try a layup in transition but collided with two Toronto players before falling awkwardly on top of several photographers on the sideline. Clearly in pain, Terry tried to stand up twice before falling to the ground to clutch his ankle. He was assisted to the locker room by the medical staff and did not put any more weight on his foot.
Donovan mentioned after the game that X-rays showed no major damage to Terry and his injury has been identified as a sprain. He was using crutches in the locker room.
The loss is significant for the Bulls, who are already without Zach LaVine, Williams, and Craig. Terry was supposed to be one of the players to help cover minutes at power forward. Without him, the Bulls will have to depend solely on Caruso and Phillips to fill the position.
2. A first half 16-point lead was lost in the third quarter.
The Bulls were in a strong position in the first half, securing a 16-point lead by halftime. But they continued to follow a pattern of starting the second half slowly, allowing the Raptors to outscore them 37-26 in the third quarter.
The Raptors evened the score with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter.
DeRozan stressed the importance of taking the lead and playing with a sense of urgency, rather than easing into the second half of a game. He emphasized the critical nature of every game at this point in the season.
The loss was mainly characterized by turnovers.
While the Bulls have been good at protecting the ball this season, recent high-turnover games have contributed to their losses.
During Tuesday's game, the Bulls lost possession 17 times, resulting in 30 points for the Raptors, with 21 of those points scored in the second half. DeMar DeRozan himself had five turnovers as the Raptors used traps to force him to give up the ball.
Although the Raptors also gave away 19 turnovers, leading to 14 points for the Bulls, the difference was not enough for the Bulls to recover.
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