Andre Drummond claimed he was very well aware of Onuralp Bitim’s name, but just in case he wasn’t, the Bulls big man knows the rookie now. So do the Cavs after Wednesday.
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There was very little miscommunication going on with Andre Drummond Wednesday night.
Considering the Bulls big man had 26 rebounds and 17 points in the double-overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s pretty obvious he was hearing everything loud and clear.
Well, until in the locker room after the game.
Asked about the surprising performance by seldom-used former G-Leaguer Onuralp Bitim, Drummond didn’t quite hear the question from the reporter so replied, “Say it again.”
Not letting the moment pass, Bitim – who was just a few lockers down – glanced over jokingly as if to say, “You really don’t know me?”
Drummond didn’t miss the opportunity to bring laughter to the moment, catching the glance and telling the rookie, “I know who you are.”
So do the Cavs now after Bitim came off the bench for 28 meaningful minutes, scored 10 points – including 2-for-2 from three-point range – and grabbed six rebounds to finish a plus-16 in plus/minus.
Was it just a one-off because the Bulls were so short-handed or has Billy Donovan stumbled across a secret weapon for the remaining 23 regular-season games?
The rest of the NBA could be finding out soon.
“OB was incredible,” Drummond said of Bitim. “He’s a guy who has played professional basketball for a while. He doesn’t have that rookie mentality. He played like he belongs, and he does.”
That’s because Bitim isn’t the typical rookie. The 24-year-old has been playing pro basketball in Turkey since 2016, he was a two-time dunk champion in the Turkish League All-Star weekend, and as he showed against Cleveland, he’s not afraid of the big moment.
While he had two appearances in mop-up time this season, Wednesday was a must-win game and he delivered.
“I really can’t describe how I feel,” Bitim said of his night. “I was dreaming of this moment for a really long time. And I was really trying to be ready. I knew the chance was going to come. You just never know when. You just have to be ready. We as players always have to be ready mentally and physically.”
His teammates appreciated that, dousing him with water in a post-game celebration in the locker room.
“Deebo (DeMar DeRozan) told me he was proud of me,” Bitim said when asked about the support he felt from his teammates and coaches. “That means a lot to me. I grew up watching him. He was one of my idols. And now we’re on the court together. We won together. Hearing those words from him was a really huge blessing … him, Coby (White), Ayo (Dosunmu), Vooch (Nikola Vucevic), I’m very lucky because I have teammates and coaches like them.”
What remains to be seen, however, is what will be his playing time Friday night against Milwaukee, and more importantly, can he again make an impact?
DeRozan admitted that Bitim hasn’t had a lot of practice time with the new-look starting lineup, but the veteran also insisted that from what he’s seen, he’s impressed.
“It’s amazing to see a guy do what he did in such a big game and close the game too,” DeRozan said. “He hit some big shots, made some big plays, held his own defensively. It’s crazy. We haven’t had much practice with him knowing the offense and having a rhythm with us, so for him to do what he did is amazing.
“You can tell he can play. You can tell the IQ and the feel is there. He can shoot the heck out of the ball.”