Onuralp Bitim makes a strong impression in 1st extended outing with Bulls: ‘I was dreaming of this moment for a long time’

CHICAGO — Onuralp Bitim knew his chance at a true first impression for the Chicago Bulls would come around only once.

The rookie already had earned a full-time contract with the Bulls before he stepped onto the court and into a bigger role Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But in his first true outing for the Bulls — 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes — Bitim made an immediate argument for his ability to contribute to the main rotation.

After the game, Bitim said it was difficult to sum up his emotions — both in English and in his native Turkish.

“I was dreaming of this moment for a long time,” he said. “ I was trying to be ready. My teammates were helping me, my coaches because I knew the chance was going to come but you just never know when. You just have to be ready.”

Bitim might be an NBA rookie, but he’s not a newcomer to professional basketball.

European players typically forego the collegiate system preferred in the U.S. and go directly to professional leagues. Bitim signed his first pro contract nearly five years ago at age 20 when he joined Pınar Karşıyaka in the Turkish Basketball Super League, the top flight in his native country.

He spent four years in the league — moving to Frutti Extra Bursaspor in 2021 — before signing a two-way contract with the Bulls in July. So despite only playing six minutes for the Bulls before Wednesday, Bitim said he didn’t feel overwhelmed by the moment.

“I was not nervous because that is what I do — play basketball,” Bitim said. “I was on the court so no, I was not nervous. I was just excited.”

Bitim made a strong impression in the G League with the Windy City Bulls, averaging 16.7 points while shooting 43.3% on 7.5 attempts from 3-point range in 12 games. He played only six minutes for the Bulls before his contract was converted and spent sparse time in practice with them.

Wednesday’s game was something of an introduction — and the Bulls were eager to embrace the rookie. Teammates doused him with water on the court postgame and in the locker room, celebrating the sudden emergence of a piece that could be vital for the Bulls to stay afloat as injuries pile up.

But for Bitim, the most meaningful gesture was a hug at the end of the second overtime from DeMar DeRozan, who told the rookie he was proud of him.

“That means a lot to me,” Bitim said. “I grew up watching him, he was one of my idols and now we are on the court together, we won together. Hearing those words from him was a really huge blessing.”

Coach Billy Donovan said Bitim felt like a natural fit against the Cavs to help the rotation with Andre Drummond and Nikola Vučević commanding the paint in a two-big lineup.

When Drummond came off the court, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Bitim helped the Bulls balance the size problem they’ve had since Patrick Williams and Torrey Craig suffered injuries.

“One of the things that happens when they’re big like that is they’ll move around matchups and a lot of times they’ll put a lot of size on DeMar or someone like that,” Donovan said. “You know they’re going to match up with our two bigs, and they obviously changed and went to a little bit more conventional lineup. Taking Drummond off the floor in that situation, I just thought with the way he was playing he was the most logical choice at that point in time.”

The Bulls haven’t had that level of flexibility amid season-ending injuries to Williams and Zach LaVine and shorter-term absences for Alex Caruso and Craig. Bitim is tall enough to compete with the larger wings in the league and his spot-up shooting — he went 2 for 2 on 3-pointers Wednesday — can buoy the team when guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are running cold.

Bitim made a strong impression in his first extended outing. The next step is consistency. And if he’s able to provide it, the rookie is eager to grab more minutes.

“As a player, you always want to be on the court,” Bitim said. “But I mean, this is a really good team, we have really good players. I don’t care how much minutes I’m getting or which games that I’m playing. I’m just trying to be ready and when I get the chance, I try to do my best and I will try to do my best on the court to help my teammates.”