Tag: Adama Sanogo

Pacers’ Oscar Tshiebwe headlines 2023-24 G League All-Rookie Team

Tshiebwe was named the G League Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the Indiana Mad Ants.

Indiana Pacers center Oscar Tshiebwe and Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller were among the players named to the 2023-24 G League All-Rookie Team, which was released on Thursday.

Tshiebwe was named the G League Rookie of the Year on April 2 after averaging 15.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 57.3% shooting from the field in 34 games with the Indiana Mad Ants. He led the G League in rebounding and was second in double-doubles (28).

He was also named to the All-G League first team.

Miller was runner-up for G League Rookie of the Year, averaging 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.2 steals with the Ontario Clippers. He ranked fourth in total points (814) among first-year players and 24th in total rebounds (245).

Tshiebwe and Miller are joined by Chicago Bulls center Adama Sanogo, Philadelphia 76ers guard Terquavion Smith and Santa Cruz Warriors guard Kendric Davis, the only player not signed to a two-way contract. Sanogo was also named to the All-G League third team.

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Bulls made right call signing Adama Sanogo to two-way contract quickly

The Chicago Bulls made a great choice signing Adama Sanogo when they did.

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Heading into the summer, the Chicago Bulls didn’t have any stakes in the 2023 NBA draft. They traded their first-round pick in the Nikola Vucevic deal, and the two seconds they could have had were also sent out. One was traded and the other was stripped by the NBA after Chicago was found to have violated tampering rules when signing Lonzo Ball.

However, on the night of the draft, they stayed active, trading up to select Tennessee forward Julian Phillips. In addition, they stayed on top of things after the draft. Once the night concluded, they quickly signed UConn big man Adama Sanogo to a two-way contract.

According to Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation, this was a great move by the Bulls.

“Overall, the Bulls looked like they made the right call signing him to a two-way deal as quickly as they did,” Schuster wrote. “His 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds (4.0 OREBs per game!) and 1.4 steals a night were enough to warrant a full season of closer evaluation. This is especially true when we consider the Bulls’ options at center are extremely limited behind Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond.”

Schuster praised Sanogo’s hustle on the glass and overall strength during Summer League.

“Despite being undersized, he battled well on the glass and finished at an extremely encouraging 65.7 percent clip,” Schuster wrote. “While Sanogo may not be the most gifted athlete on the floor, he carries an extremely strong frame and has the kind of soft touch around the rim that can make him an extremely intriguing post player.”

Did the Bulls make a good choice bringing in Sanogo?

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Adama Sanogo has proven worthy of Bulls two-way contract

Throughout Summer League, big man Adama Sanogo proved himself worthy of the two-way contract the Chicago Bulls handed him.

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The Chicago Bulls are in a tough spot. This past season, they were bounced in the play-in tournament.

Rather than resetting, they pushed forward. Chicago re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White and signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency, thus improving their depth.

In addition, the Bulls made moves at the 2023 NBA draft. Chicago traded into the draft to select Julian Phillips of Tennessee, whose athleticism and defensive potential made him an appealing target. However, that wasn’t the only move Chicago made. The Bulls stayed active in the undrafted free agency scene, signing UConn big man Adama Sanogo to a two-way deal.

According to KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, Sanogo proved himself worthy during his time in summer league of the two-way deal the Bulls handed him .

“The Bulls moved quickly to sign the Connecticut big man to a two-way contract after he went undrafted,” Johnson wrote. “While averaging 10.2 points on 65.7 percent shooting and 8.4 rebounds, Sanogo displayed good footwork and a high IQ for solid positioning at both ends.

And while he’ll need to improve his shooting, he has a nice touch around the basket, often off solid rolls to the rim. Sanogo also has good hands.”

In five summer league games, Sanogo averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game on 65.7% shooting from the field.

Sanogo showed a great deal of potential throughout summer league, and if given a chance to grow with the Windy City Bulls, he could grow into a solid rotation piece.

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5 undrafted rookies on two-way deals who looked like steals during NBA Summer League

How did Adama Sanogo and Oscar Tshiebwe go undrafted?

Even though it might be too early to make any sweeping judgments about strong performances at NBA Summer League, some players have stood out.

As the NBA 2K24 Summer League tournament nears an end, we took a look at a few of the standout undrafted free agents who have already exceeded expectations set by their two-way contracts signed after the 2023 NBA Draft.

While you may be familiar with some names (e.g. Adama Sanogo and Oscar Oscar Tshiebwe) already, others may feel less familiar.

This story used AI-Powered statistics provided by the Stats Perform database.

Stay tuned for our third edition of this series, which will look at players who may have earned a two-way contract (e.g. Jelly Walker, KJ Williams, Nathan Mensah and more) based on their performances in Las Vegas as well.

RELATED: 5 second-round picks in 2023 who already look like draft steals during NBA Summer League

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Bulls Summer League: 3 top performers in loss to Cavaliers

Let’s take a look at three of the top performers from the Chicago Bulls Summer League loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Chicago Bulls have had an up-and-down summer league so far, and heading into their Thursday afternoon contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they were 2-1.

A win would have given Chicago a puncher’s chance at making the summer league playoffs. Unfortunately, the Bulls weren’t able to get the job done.

Chicago mounted a comeback near the end of the game, but the Cavaliers held on, securing an 87-83 win over the Bulls. The Bulls’ 3-point shooting took a massive step back; they shot 7-of-35 (20%) from distance as a team,  a big reason for the loss.

Let’s take a look at the top performers of the game.

Bulls rookie Adama Sanogo showing potential on both ends of the court

Chicago Bulls rookie Adama Sanogo has looked great on both sides of the ball during Summer League.

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With the current state of their roster, the Chicago Bulls need to focus on adding a healthy mix of win-now talent and youth. Arturas Karnisovas seems intent on running it back with the same core and competing for the playoffs, but with how talented the East is, Chicago also should be looking to improve its future by adding youngsters.

At the 2023 NBA draft, the Bulls traded into the event to select Tennessee forward Julian Phillips. After the draft, they added another rookie, signing UConn big man Adama Sanogo to a two-way contract. In the summer league, Sanogo has been great.

Will Gottlieb of CHGO is high on the young prospect, noting he has the potential to turn into a quality NBA player. Defensively, Sanogo has been solid.

“Sanogo has been productive throughout his three-game Summer League stint, but this may have been his best game,” Gottlieb wrote. “The counting stats speak for themselves, but his activity on the court was just as encouraging.

“Sanogo displayed a good sense of awareness and positioning on the defensive end, primarily playing in drop coverage. He kept ballhandlers in front of him, deterred shots at the rim and even slid over to take a charge.”

And offensively, he’s shown some solid tools, too.

“Offensively, Sanogo is known for his ability to finish around the rim, and has been fantastic in that regard after his 2-of-8 first game,” Gottlieb wrote. “Since then, he’s got 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

“Sanogo has the outline of a decent jumpshot, albeit a funky looking one, but his primary skill set is rolling to the basket. Though he’s not a traditional high-flying lob threat, he has soft touch and barrels his way through most defenders.”

It’s early, but the Bulls may have found an undrafted steal.

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Adama Sanogo ready to grow with Bulls: ‘A chance to prove myself’

Chicago Bulls rookie Adama Sanogo is ready to work hard and earn more opportunities within the squad.

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The Chicago Bulls entered the offseason with zero draft picks in this year’s draft. All of their potential selections were either traded away or stripped from them by the NBA.

But on draft night, the Bulls stayed active, trading in to pick Tennessee forward Julian Phillips.

They didn’t stop there, though. They signed UConn big man Adama Sanogo after the draft, bringing him on board on a two-way contract. The former Husky won a national championship this past year and is revved up and ready to compete for the Bulls this season.

While in Las Vegas for the summer league, Sanogo expressed his excitement for the opportunity, stating his readiness to compete for the Bulls. (H/t KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago)

“If they give me a two-way, they’re giving me a chance to prove myself to them,” Sanogo said after a summer league practice prior to the start of the schedule. “I’ll show them how I can help this team to be one of the best in the NBA. I want to do whatever they want me to do to get a roster spot. I may not get all the time I want in summer league. But the time I may get, I’m going to use that to show them I’m a great teammate and I compete and I want to win.”

As Sanogo traverses his rookie season, he will have Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond ahead of him in the depth chart, but with Chicago’s young core slowly forming, he could have a chance to impress should he put in the work.

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Bulls Summer League: 3 top performers from loss to Grizzlies

These were the top three performers from the Chicago Bulls’ Summer League win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

On Saturday night, the Chicago Bulls took on the Memphis Grizzlies in their second Summer League game of the offseason, but they didn’t get the result they wanted. Chicago dropped the game, falling to the Grizzlies by a score of 87-80, but Summer League isn’t necessarily about wins and losses.

While Chicago would obviously love to win every game of Summer League, the event is more about evaluating talent than it is about winning each contest. And for the Bulls, adding new young talent to the roster will be key if they hope to compete for a playoff spot and maintain a solid future.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the three top performers from the Bulls’ loss to the Grizzlies.

Bulls Summer League Notebook: The Statue of (Freeman-)Liberty

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in Summer League, but Javon Freeman-Liberty stole the show.

The Chicago Bulls took on the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in their second game of Summer League action. After taking down the Toronto Raptors on Friday, the Bulls lost to Memphis by a score of 87-80. Once again, Chicago struggled with efficiency.

The Bulls shot just 40.0% from the field and 33.3% from deep against the Grizzlies. Memphis big man Kenneth Lofton Jr. continued to wreak havoc on Summer League, pouring in 23 points to go along with four rebounds, two steals, and three blocks, but the Bulls had some solid performers on their side of things, too, all highlighted by a certain point guard.

Let’s take a look at the top notes from Chicago’s loss to the Grizzlies.

Rookie Adama Sanogo sends message to Bulls Nation: ‘I come to compete’

During his first media availability session, Chicago Bulls rookie Adama Sanogo sent a message to Bulls Nation.

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At the end of this past season, Arturas Karnisovas sent a message: The Chicago Bulls were not going to rebuild. Rather than tear down the season after getting bounced in the play-in tournament, they decided to push forward. So far this offseason, the Bulls’ offseason moves have signaled that goal.

They also added some nice young talent via the NBA Draft. In addition to trading into the event to select Tennessee’s Julian Phillips, they signed undrafted free agent Adama Sanogo of UConn to a two-year contract after the draft concluded. Sanogo spent three years with the Huskies and capped it with a national championship.

During his first media availability session, Sanogo sent a message to Bulls fans, noting how he plans to play hard and give everything he has to the team.

“I (will) do whatever I can,” Sanogo said via Sam Smith of NBA.com. “I come to compete, be myself, compete, not be selfish. I want to show I am a great teammate, to compete and win. (Summer League) is a chance to prove myself, so I’ll try to show them now. I want to do what I need to do, be myself, compete, show what I can do, do everything I can to make the team win and play hard.”

In his third and final season at UConn, Sanogo averaged 17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 60.6% shooting overall.

Fans should be keeping an eye on the 6-foot-9 big man during summer league and into the next season.

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