Bulls Training Camp Battles: Backup Wing

Michael Walton II

Oct 4, 2025, 20:58

Michael Walton II

Oct 4, 2025, 20:58

Updated at: Oct 4, 2025, 20:58

The Chicago Bulls have an interesting decision when it comes to how to distribute minutes on the wing. First of all, there a ton of players you could classify as wings when you consider how Donovan loves to use small lineups. I believe Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, and Julian Phillips, all as players Donovan would consider as able to soak up backup minutes on the wing in some capacity. Two of the eight players that I mentioned are likely going to start around Coby White, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic.

With Okoro, Huerter, and Dosunmu as the players I believe have the most likely chance to start, I chose to focus on Williams, Terry, and Phillips.

Terry is the toughest of the bunch to figure out in my opinion. Terry is a team-first player who is a high energy player through and through. He locks in on defense even when he is overmatched physically by his assignment. Despite being a solid passer, he isn't a high-assist player and he doesn't provide much as a floor spacer (career 29.8% 3-point shooter, shot a career-best 35.6% in 2025). If Terry doesn't stand out more in some capacity, it's tough to see him as a lock in the rotation, but his excellent attitude is likely to keep him around long-term.

Julian Phillips is an athletic wing who focuses on defense. At a listed 198 lbs., he doesn't have the girth to hang with the stocky scorers on the wing. But Phillips is also a high-energy player, effective when the Bulls need to scramble on the back end to cover up defensive mistakes. That being said, Phillips is still a player who makes plays with his athleticism more than anything, and that will need to change for him to see a bigger role. He shot 61.2% in the restricted area last season, a figure that puts him behind smaller players such as Huerter, White, and Tre Jones. Phillips is a career 32% 3-point shooter, having a long way to go as a floor spacer. If Phillips--similar to Terry--can find a specific way to impress Donovan, he would improve his path to more minutes. He is a willing slasher, but becoming a more effective one would provide reason to play him in lineups next to Giddey when White is off the floor.

I saved the best for last, with Patrick Williams being the most likely option as the top backup power forward once he is at full strength. Williams, for much as he can be maligned by fans, has been an extremely effective 3-point shooter on low-volume for his entire career. An injury-shortened 2025 saw Williams shoot the lowest 3-pt percentage of his career at 35.3%, but he has shot 39% or better from deep every other season of his career. Though Williams has slimmed down, he still is one of the better Bulls defenders when it comes to the likes of trying to slow down players built like Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes or Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) on X Patrick Williams said he slimmed down on purpose. Won’t reveal weight but said he focused on lean muscle. Said his whole offseason started with hard look in the mirror: “I need to be better.”

Expect Williams to play a lot off the bench, being on an $18 million per year contract that ensures Chicago will look for a bounce back year from the former No. 4 overall pick. His 3-point shooting alone makes him a worthwhile rotation player on a team bereft of surefire floor spacers, but his potential as physical, off-ball defender, gives reason to make him close to a sixth man on a Bulls team trying to avoid being stuck in the middle as a franchise.

Bulls Training Camp Battles: Backup Wing