Tag: Onuralp Bitim

Onuralp Bitim reflects on first season with the Chicago Bulls

Following the 2023-24 season, Onuralp Bitim reflected on his first year in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.

The 2023-24 season was a rough one for the Chicago Bulls. They finished below-.500 for the second straight season. However, there were some positives to come out of it. The most obvious positives are Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, who showed star potential throughout the season. But another one was Onuralp Bitim.

Bitim joined the team ahead of the year on a two-way contract, but by the end of the season, the Bulls elevated his contract to a standard deal. He played well in the minutes he had with the team, providing the Bulls with some solid shooting – something they are desperately in need of.

Following the season, Bitim reflected on his first year in the NBA via a post on Twitter.

“An unforgettable season has passed for me,” Bitim wrote. “I’ve gained many experiences. Now it’s time to prepare for the new season. I thank our fans and the entire Bulls family, who have always been by our side throughout the season. See you in the upcoming season.”

In 23 appearances with the Bulls, Bitim averaged 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 38.1% from the field and 27.3% from behind the three-point line.

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Bulls Injury Report: Bitim out for postseason, Dosunmu return hopeful

The Chicago Bulls are dealing with some injuries heading into the Play-In, including ones to Onuralp Bitim and Ayo Dosunmu.

This season has been defined by injuries for the Chicago Bulls. Zach LaVine is out for the year, as he got surgery on his foot, and Patrick Williams is also out for the remainder of the season. Now, as the Bulls prepare for the Play-In Tournament, they are facing a couple more injuries that could affect them.

Onuralp Bitim, whose contract was converted from a two-way deal to a multi-year contract back in February, suffered a detached retina. He will be out for the postseason. Meanwhile, Ayo Dosunmu is dealing with a quadriceps issue, but there is hope that he will be good to go for the Bulls’ potential postseason run, starting with the Play-In.

The Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed both of these injuries and how they could impact the Bulls.

In addition to those two, Andre Drummond is questionable for the Play-In game due to a left ankle sprain, and rookie Julian Phillips is out with a midfoot sprain.

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Chicago Bulls fans should be very excited about Onuralp Bitim

Chicago Bulls fans should be hyped about having Onuralp Bitim on the squad.

Chicago Bulls fans haven’t had too much to get pumped up about this season. A slow start had fans itching for a rebuild, but then the Bulls turned their season around. They are now in the hunt to be a Play-In team and have a real shot at making the playoffs despite doing nothing at the trade deadline for the third year in a row.

But while the Bulls likely won’t make a deep playoff run and there are no no pieces that came through via trade, there are still some guys Chicagoans should keep a close eye on throughout the course of the rest of the season.

One of those guys is Onuralp Bitim, who the Bulls converted from a two-way deal to a standard contract. The CHGO Sports YouTube channel recently discussed why Bitim should be getting a ton of love from Bulls fans.

Bitim has made an impact in his short time on a standard deal, and his three-point shooting looks like a very valuable asset.

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Onuralp Bitim could provide some magic during Bulls final stretch

Can Onuralp Bitim provide the Chicago Bulls with some late-season magic?

After their lack of trade deadline dealings, the Chicago Bulls are now looking to push for the playoffs with their current roster. However, after they decided not to add anybody via trade, they made an addition in a different way. Chicago converted two-way player Onuralp Bitim to a standard contract.

In his first game with real minutes on a standard deal, Bitim played a big role for the Bulls off the bench in their double-overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. His ability to nail shots from behind the three-point line could give the Bulls a much-needed new look on the offensive end.

The CHGO Sports YouTube channel recently discussed whether or not he can provide them with some late-season magic.

Having Bitim on the roster should give the Bulls a chance to get a look at a potential new rotation player, which is especially great considering how solid he is as a shooter.

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On the Chicago Bulls converting Onuralp Bitim to a regular roster spot

This could end up being another situation where an unexpected loss of a player ends up bearing dividends down the road.

No matter how you slice it, the Chicago Bulls need some outside shooting on their roster, and it looks like the team’s front office has made a move to address that, albeit on a relatively minor level. The Bulls recently elected to elevate two way wing Onuralp Bitim to a regular roster spot soon after the news broke that starting forward Patrick Williams would miss the rest of the season due to foot surgery.

This could end up being another situation where an unexpected loss of a player ends up bearing dividends down the road, as was the case with Coby White after Zach LaVine’s foot injury. But Bitim, as intriguing as his play has been with the Windy City Bulls, is also a lot further behind developmentally than White.

Haize, the host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, recently weighed in on the move in light of the Williams injury. Check it out below!

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Chicago elevating two way wing Onuralp Bitim to regular roster spot

The Chicago Bulls have made a decision to elevate one of their two way players to a regular roster spot.

The Chicago Bulls have made a decision to elevate one of their two way players to a regular roster spot after the dust of All-Star Week has settled. Per a release circulated by the team, the Bulls have elected to convert the two way contract of forward Onuralp Bitim to a standard NBA contract.

Though Bitim has just played in two games with Chicago at the NBA level since signing with the team last July, the Turkish forward has played a dozen games with the Windy City Bulls. There, he logged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He has been Windy City’s best 3-point shot as well, going 43.3% from beyond the arc at the G League level.

The 24-year-old, 6-foot-6 wing will help pick up some of the slack in Chicago’s rotation created by the loss of forward Patrick Williams to foot surgery for the rest of the league’s 2023-24 season.

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Report: Bulls to sign Turkish forward Onuralp Bitim to two-way contract

Bitim was named to the All-EuroCup second team last season after averaging 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists.

Onuralp Bitim, a 6-foot-5 forward who played last season with Bursaspor in Turkey, reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The news was first reported last month by Basketfaul.com.

Bitim, who was born in Turkey, was named to the All-EuroCup second team after averaging 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and one steal in 50 games between the Turkish League and EuroCup competition. He shot 45% from the field, including 36.6% from 3-point range.

The 24-year-old played with Anadolu Efes and Pınar Karşıyaka in Turkey before joining Bursaspor for the past two seasons. He won a title with Anadolu Efes in 2019 and was the Turkish League Slam Dunk Contest winner in 2020.

Bitim has also previously represented Turkey in several international events. He debuted with the senior team in 2022 and most recently appeared in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup European qualifiers, averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and two assists in seven games.

His team finished with a 4-6 record and did not qualify for the event.

He will split his time next season between Chicago and the Windy City Bulls in the G League. He is eligible to spend no more than 50 games in the NBA and will earn a flat salary equal to 50% of the minimum salary applicable to a player with zero years of service.

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Report: Chicago Bulls have offered Onuralp Bitim two-way contract

According to recent reports, the Chicago Bulls have offered Onuralp Bitim a two-way contract.

The Chicago Bulls have the difficult task of filling their roster this summer while building a playoff team. They fell short of that goal this past season, getting bounced in the second game of the play-in tournament. While a rebuild could help the team’s future, Arturas Karnisovas seems intent on running back the same core.

In addition to adding win-now players, however, Chicago should look to add some youth to the mix. They traded into the 2023 NBA draft, selecting Julian Phillips of Tennessee, and they signed UConn center Adama Sanogo to a two-way deal after he went undrafted.

Now, according to BasketNews, the Bulls have offered 24-year-old shooting guard Onuralp Bitim a two-way contract. (H/t Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation)

The Turkish veteran played for Bursaspor in the Basketbol Süper Ligi this past season. He averaged 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 45% shooting from the field and 36.6% shooting from behind the 3-point line.

Bitim is slated to play for Chicago’s summer league team in Las Vegas, which will give the Bulls a chance to get a closer look as he considers their reported offer.

Each team around the NBA gets three two-way spots this year instead of two, meaning the Bulls have a bit more flexibility. If Bitim accepts their offer, that will be two of the spots filled (Sanogo and Bitim), leaving them with one more opening.

Bitim’s 3-point shooting could be a valuable asset to a Bulls team that desperately lacks just that, especially with his size at the two-guard.

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