Julian

Phillips

Friday’s performance was Phillips’ best of summer league, as the second-year wing shot 4-of-7 from three and tallied four “stocks.” While lottery pick Matas Buzelis has dominated the early conversations, fantasy managers should not ignore Phillips. He didn’t play significant minutes as a rookie, but DeMar DeRozan’s departure will free up opportunities for the 2023 second-round pick. How much Phillips plays will depend on the health of Patrick Williams (he’ll be good to go for the start of next season) and whether or not the Bulls will commit to a rebuild or continue to chase a play-in tournament spot.

Chicago’s second-round pick in the 2023 draft, Phillips’ rookie campaign ended in mid-March due to a sprained right foot. He finished the rehab process in mid-May, making Saturday Phillips’s first game action since then. And he looked good, displaying good activity on the offensive end of the floor. While DeMar DeRozan is gone, Phillips’ fantasy potential in 2024-25 will hinge on what other moves the Bulls make on the wings. If the front office fully embraces a rebuild, he is one of the young players who would benefit.

Phillips, the 35th overall pick in last summer’s draft, sprained his foot in mid-March and missed the remainder of his rookie campaign. The fact that he’s back to full strength at this point in Chicago’s offseason is good news for the Bulls, who should be able to evaluate Phillips even more in Summer League action this summer. His fantasy potential depends on what the Bulls do this offseason, with DeMar DeRozan being an unrestricted free agent.

Phillips wasn’t able to play in their last game due to soreness in his foot, but it has officially bee upgraded to a sprain. His status will be “updated as appropriate”, so this may be a multi-game absence for him. Onuralp Bitim and Dalen Terry should fill the majority of the wing minutes off the bench.

Phillips will not play after logging 11 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Pacers. While this frees up additional minutes for Dalen Terry and Onuralp Bitim, neither is in a position where they’ll impact fantasy basketball.

Phillips was also questionable ahead of Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, playing 11 minutes off the bench. If cleared for Thursday, the rookie could be in for a similar workload, which would mean more minutes for Torrey Craig and Onuralp Bitim. Neither is worth the risk as a streamer, even in deep leagues.

Phillips lands on the injury report after playing 28 minutes off the bench in Monday’s loss to Dallas. While the rookie has not been an impact option in fantasy basketball, his minutes have increased recently. Should Phillips not be cleared to play on Wednesday, Dalen Terry should pick up additional minutes off the bench.

Having reached double figures once in his rookie season before Monday, Bitim was among the few bright spots for Chicago in the blowout defeat. The 17 points are a season-high, while he matched his previous high with six rebounds. Bitim still isn’t to the point where fantasy managers need to add him; however, the minutes suggest he has surpassed Dalen Terry in the pecking order. Fellow rookie Julian Phillips was the only other reserve to play at least 25 minutes, and he finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals, and two 3-pointers. Neither Phillips nor Bitim should be added in fantasy leagues.

Terry was initially listed as questionable, but now he has officially been ruled out. He didn’t play in their last game despite being healthy and only played two minutes in the game before. Onuralp Bitim and Julian Phillips should continue to see small roles off the bench, with a few extra minutes due to Terry’s absence.

Caruso is once again on the Bulls’ injury report, this time due to a toe contusion rather than the previously listed strained adductor. Should he not be able to play, Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips will figure more prominently in the rotation, with the former likely moving into the starting lineup. Neither Terry nor Phillips would be worth streaming.