The Chicago Bulls second-year center Marko Simonovic shined in the team’s OT victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Simonovic scored 27 points with 13 rebounds and three blocks and tied the game.
He tied the game at the end of regulation with a dunk and then hit the game-winning free throw in OT. Last season he played only nine games with Chicago while he also appeared in five G League games.
He has worked on strengthening his body and improving his low post scoring since last season. He added 25 pounds, and he could find a place in the Bulls’ rotation if he shows he can make three-point shots consistently.
“Now I am 240,” said in an interview prior to the NBA Summer League. “Last year I was 215 or something. How (did I do it)? Every day keep working; that’s it. I don’t know what to say.”
“This is a process and I know it’s not like in one year. I need the time to understand and learn everything. Everybody is trying to help me. I think I’ve grown a lot, but I have a lot of space to improve.”
Simonovic with some perimeter shooting ability also projects as a possible stretch power forward the way the game has evolved. The young big man is setting the foundation to become a legit back up center in the league.
