MILWAUKEE — For rookie Julian Phillips, the first weeks of his NBA debut have been a waiting game.
Phillips rarely steps on the court for the Bulls, averaging less than three minutes in his first 10 games as an NBA player. The Bulls know their rookie needs to play. But Phillips has already made a strong impression even without meaningful time on the court.
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“He’s got a really good upside,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He definitely needs to play in games. That’s going to be important for him. But where he’s been from where he was — when we started summer league practice and then going through summer league and coming back to training camp — I think we’ve seen a pretty steady incline from all the time that he’s been here.”
Phillips did not play Monday in the Bulls’ 118-109 loss at the Milwaukee Bucks.
For the early weeks of the season, Donovan wanted Phillips to stay close to the team to become familiar with his new teammates — and learn what it takes to be successful in the league.
The first months of a rookie season require new skills that have nothing to do with the sport itself — how to manage the rigors of the travel schedule, solidify an eating plan, maximize downtime and create a recovery plan. Phillips has embraced this learning curve. He was assigned to a locker tucked into a corner next to Alex Caruso, who he watches carefully as a prime example of how to build an NBA career out of the G League.
But as the season moves on, Donovan hopes to get Phillips serious minutes with Windy City. His main goal is to give the rookie more time with the ball in his hands as a point guard, which Donovan believes can be a strength in the future.
Phillips is a defensive-minded player who was drafted with clear weaknesses in his shot. But Donovan has been impressed with his ability to distribute.
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“He’s got really good vision,” Donovan said. “He can really see the court. When you’re coming down the break and all of a sudden it’s a four-on-four situation, he can make a pass that turns it into a 2-on-1 situation. He’s just got a really good feel for that stuff.”
It’s a challenge Phillips embraces.
He’s eager to take on a bigger role as a ballhandler for the Bulls. And as a larger guard — more of a true wing at 6-foot-8 — Phillips feels he can use his athleticism to get downhill and find his teammates.
“I think that’d be good for me,” Phillips said. “I’m just hoping to expand my game and experience the different things I can do.”
For the Bulls, it’s critical to avoid falling into the rut that trapped second-year guard Dalen Terry last season.
Terry played a total of 521 minutes last season across 48 games — 38 for the Bulls and 10 for Windy City. Donovan said he didn’t regret the way Terry’s rookie year was handled, but the Bulls want to ensure Phillips plays as many minutes as possible this season.
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Now that Phillips has had time to settle in with the first team, Donovan said he will meet regularly with Windy City coach Henry Domercant to create a plan for the rookie’s minutes.
“We try to go a month at a time to really see where we (can) maximize these guys getting opportunities to play,” Donovan said.
This year’s roster composition poses an even steeper challenge for young players like Terry and Phillips to make their way onto the court. Donovan typically prefers a nine-man rotation, but this year he’s stretched that to 10 players to include Ayo Dosunmu, who has been clinical in his 13.6 minutes per game. That leaves little room for Terry or Phillips to catch any minutes outside of garbage time.
But the nature of injuries also makes Donovan hesitant to send either player out on a lengthy loan to Windy City. For instance, the Bulls’ last road game in Denver featured two roster disruptions — first Dosunmu being sidelined with illness, then Alex Caruso suffering a mid-game injury that held him out for most of the second half.
In those situations, Phillips and Terry need to be available as stopgaps for the rotation — even though they only featured in three minutes at the end of the loss.
Sparse playing time might be frustrating for a young player, but Phillips said he’s cherished every minute on the court.
“Those moments for me have been very exciting,” Phillips said. “The biggest thing for me is just staying ready. You never know when your name is going to be called. If you’re always ready, you don’t have to get ready. That’s something my parents always said to me so I definitely try to stay true to that.”