Chicago Bulls must find room for Antonio Blakeney on the roster
Undrafted free agent Antonio Blakeney is making a strong case to for the Chicago Bulls roster in NBA summer league action.
After beginning the NBA summer league at a measly 0-2, the Chicago Bulls finally earned their first victory of the summer topping the Washington Wizards 82-73 on Tuesday afternoon. Oddly enough for the struggling Bulls squad, it was the undrafted guard from LSU, Antonio Blakeney,
who lead the Bulls in scoring putting up 23 points. Blakeney went 9-17 shooting and went 4-of-5 from behind the arch.
Blakeney proceeded to push the Bulls 52-36 halftime lead with 10 points in the third quarter. The LSU product backed up that performance with 25 points and nine rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. He has had a strong start with his summer league play thus far outperforming third-year guard Cameron Payne. But what could this performance mean for the Bulls backcourt moving forward?
Who will play point?
First, let’s take a look at who is in the Bulls’ backcourt. It’s almost guaranteed that newly acquired guard, Kris Dunn will be taking over the starting job. Whether it be this season or not there’s no doubt he’s the future for the Bulls. While speaking with Jared Greenberg of NBA TV, general manager Gar Forman spoke on the point guard situation moving forward.
"“I think its going to be an open competition. I think we like all three of the young point guards and they’re all going to have an opportunity. But obviously Kris Dunn who we got was a top five pick a year ago for Minnesota, Cameron Payne who is a lottery pick, and Jerian Grant who did some good things for us a year ago. So I think thats going to be Fred and the coaching staff working with those guys and there is going to be a lot of competition as far as minutes are concerned there.”"
Regardless of whether Dunn starts or not he has undoubtedly secured himself a spot on the roster. However, that leaves guards Cameron Payne, Jerian Grant, and Antonio Blakeney up for consideration.
What About Blakeney?
Thus far, Blakeney has clearly outplayed teammate Cameron Payne. As the teams leading scorer, Blakeney has been averaging 16.8 PPG through the first four games.
Many fans attribute the Bulls first couple losses to the poor play from Payne and the criticism is justified. With Blakeney on the court over Payne, the Bulls were a much better team offensively. Without the poor ball movement by Payne, Blakeney was able to ignite the Bulls to secure their first victory of the summer.
However, with the Bulls committing to a full rebuild, it makes sense to sign Antonio Blakeney and dump Cameron Payne. After going undrafted, Blakeney no doubt has a chip on his shoulder. The young players who feel they have something to prove and work hard have had great success in recent Bulls history. Blakeney appears to fit that same mold.
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Blakeney can be an exciting young talent for the Bulls moving forward. If he continues this level of play, the Bulls must give him a chance over Payne or Grant. Signing Blakeney won’t be a make or break decision for the Chicago Bulls entering the 2017-2018, but could prove to be a hit or miss decision down the line.