There’s no three-digit number pinned to the back of a gold practice pinnie but make no mistake about what’s going on with the Bulls over the final 23 regular-season games: These are tryouts.
That’s the way veteran shooter Kevin Huerter is approaching it.
He may have a guaranteed contract for next season, but he has no guarantees of playing time. It’s in his hands to make sure he does.
That’s how Huerter attacked the last three games. Show that he belongs.
“I’m just trying to fit into what we’re doing here,” Huerter said. “Guys play fast, Coach (Billy) Donovan, the way he’s been coaching to what we want to do offensively, play with pace, play aggressively, get downhill. It’s all stuff I think I can do at a high level, so it’s just a matter of doing it.”
And doing it consistently.
It was not a good debut for Huerter when he was first acquired in the three-team Zach LaVine deal. Heck, it wasn’t a good first week.
With only one real practice with his new team, Huerter looked like he was barely an NBA player, let alone a seven-year veteran that had 366 starts on his resume.
There was a dismal first game against Golden State in which he went 1-of-7 from the field, including 1-of-4 from three-point range. And then there were the back-to-back home games with Detroit in which Huerter was almost unplayable, evident by his 3-of-15 shooting and four turnovers.
The All-Star Break couldn’t have come any sooner for the former Maryland product.
“Yeah, I didn’t feel like myself, either,” Huerter admitted. “The break was big for me; a mental refresh was big for me. I came out of it ready to get going, to turn the page and start things going with this organization. The rest was just playing with confidence, and I’m confident in who I am.”
That’s been on display since.
In his four games out of the All-Star Weekend, Huerter was averaging 14.8 points per game, shooting 47.2% from three-point range, and handing out 2.5 assists with Donovan giving him an average of seven more minutes of playing time per game.
A showcase that screams definite rotation player for the Bulls next season?
Not quite, but it gives hope that if they do keep Huerter over the offseason, his expiring $17.9 million salary in the 2025-26 campaign will have value. Whether that means the Bulls will want to try trading it by next February or negotiating with him for an extension could depend on how the next few months go for Huerter.
“He’s obviously been a proven player in the league and certainly had moments in Atlanta and Sacramento, where he’s been really, really good,” Donovan said of Huerter so far. “I think anytime you come to a new team there’s going to be a period of adjustment, but I don’t think he was necessarily shooting the ball as well in Sacramento but for him maybe something new and fresh (was needed), trying to get him to take shots when they’re there.”
Good shots at that.
Huerter has averaged 10 three-point attempts per game the last three games, and that included his 7-of-11 in the blowout win over Philadelphia.
More importantly, he’s seemingly not forcing shots up like he did early on in the wake of the trade.
“I think there is a lot more to his game than just the shooting,” Donovan said. “I think he’s got a good feel out there. He’s got a good IQ, he can pass, he reads defenses out there. He’s a lot quicker where he can get separation and get shots off too.”
All traits that the high-paced, long-range shooting Bulls offense values.
So is Huerter starting to change some minds?
Maybe, but keep that pinnie handy just in case.