As the summer began, the Chicago Bulls were focused on improvement, but adding youth to their squad should have been viewed as a priority, too. Their current core isn’t a championship-caliber group. While there’s merit to simply competing for the playoffs, adding younger players to secure a brighter future is crucial.
In turn, summer league was an important event for the Bulls. It allowed them to look at some young talent. Dalen Terry had all the eyes on him when summer league started, but by the end, Javon Freeman-Liberty was the story. The 23-year-old guard was Chicago’s best player by a mile.
And according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, Freeman-Liberty deserves a perfect grade for his showing.
“He was the Bulls’ best and most consistent all-around player. The 6-foot-4 guard who played 17 games with the Windy City Bulls last season also made the best case to break through and crack the regular roster.
“Freeman-Liberty averaged a team-leading 21.2 points on 49.3 percent shooting, including 46.2 percent on 3s, with 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
“Along the way, the Chicago native who starred at Whitney Young High School before going on to Valparasio and DePaul, showed some of everything a team would want in a floor general: reliable ball-handling, speed and quickness, change of pace, court vision, defense, 3-point shooting, free-throw shooting and finishing ability.
The Bulls might want to keep him around,” Mayberry wrote.
With Ayo Dosunmu’s uncertain future, Freeman-Liberty could have a legitimate pathway to a role on the Bulls. Should they give him a chance?
