SACRAMENTO, Calif. — There was some mop-up time in the Bulls’ blowout loss Wednesday to the Suns.
Four minutes of it, to be exact.
Before that, there were a few minutes in a one-sided loss two weeks earlier to the Pelicans.
And in between? Bulls rookie Dalen Terry put some work in with the Windy City Bulls of the G League.
Sure, Terry — the No. 18 overall pick last summer — was hoping for more this season, especially with the Bulls so inconsistent from game to game. But the waiting game continued Sunday.
Even with Javonte Green sidelined with a sore right knee and Alex Caruso playing with a sore ankle, Terry still didn’t get meaningful minutes against the Kings.
And while it’s way too early to say this is how his entire season will go, Terry admitted it has felt ‘‘like a redshirt year’’ so far.
‘‘It’s hard at times, but you’ve got to always know that everything happens for a reason,’’ Terry said. ‘‘This is basically like a redshirt year, where I get to work out all the time. I know I’m not playing, but being a good teammate, being around the guys, that’s bigger than anything right now.
‘‘I talked to a few guys. I’ve talked to DeMar [DeRozan] and Pat [Williams] about it, and they just keep telling me, ‘Brah, you’re on a good team. This is a blessing and a curse.’ That’s what happens when you get drafted to a good team. Sometimes you get that year to really develop and learn, but you’ve got to sit.
‘‘If I was drafted to a bad team, maybe I play a lot, but we’re a bad team. There’s pros and cons both ways. I have to just be patient and make sure I don’t change my love for the game. I know I won’t.’’
There was once a defensive-minded wing named Jimmy Butler who all but redshirted his rookie season with the Bulls. And coach Billy Donovan pointed out that when he coached Joakim Noah as a freshman at Florida, Noah averaged six minutes.
Those are the examples Terry is holding on to.
‘‘I still think we’re committed to his development,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘The piece of the development that’s probably hard for him is he’s not getting those game minutes, which is important in player development.
‘‘If you’re playing him in the rotation, you’re actually taking someone else out, too.’’
Indeed, if Terry goes into the rotation, whom does Donovan take out? The other part of it is that Terry’s shot is still not consistent enough and that the game still seems to be on fast-forward when he’s out there.
‘‘Maybe going forward we feel like, ‘Let’s get him in there, and his energy will help, his skill set will help,’ ’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I still think the growth of him as a player is still very critical. This can’t be a wasted year with limited minutes for him. He’s got to really continue to get better. To his credit, he’s done that. He’s kept himself upbeat, he’s getting in the gym, he gets in early. He’s doing all the things he needs to be doing.’’
Green with injury
Donovan said Green suffered his knee injury late in the game Friday against the Warriors. He was receiving treatment in hopes of playing against the Kings, but there was still too much soreness in the joint.
The Bulls don’t play again until Wednesday, so they hope Green will be available then.
