Dalen Terry Speaks About His Ejection During Preseason Game

Terry is known for being an energetic player off the bench for the Bulls. Unfortunately, he was not the most effective player during the preseason game against the Bucks.

He only played six minutes in the game, failing to score a point. However, Terry made the most headlines because he was ejected from the game. The Bucks ended up winning the game 127 to 121, which could have changed if Terry had played more minutes and made a bigger impact.

Terry Admits He Wanted to Defend Himself

In the play, when he drove into the paint, Terry felt that the contact by Prince was unnecessary. Most people will disagree with what he did, but that is what he felt at that moment.

He could have played a role in the Bulls' goal to win the game, but it could not happen because of his ejection. This was not what the coaching staff would have liked because the 23-year-old forward is entering his fourth NBA season.

Terry was a regular member of the rotation during the 2024-25 season, playing 73 games, starting in five of them. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he looks to be a player who will play quite often. However, this incident might get him some flak from Billy Donovan and the other coaches.

"Went up to the basket, got grabbed. I’m a man before anything. I had to defend myself. I felt there was some touching that I didn't like, so y'all see what happened," Terry admitted to the media after the game.

"The refs made a decision (his ejection). That's what it is, and I have to live with it... You think I threw a punch? No, sir, I didn't throw a punch."

Terry Could Play a Bigger Role in the 2025-26 Season

While Terry had a bad moment during the game against Milwaukee, he could still play a big role in the upcoming regular season. He is not the type of player who will jump out of the stat sheet, but he can play with the energy to change the game for Chicago.

Some people have tapped him for the Alex Caruso role that the now-champion with the OKC Thunder left after the trade for Josh Giddey.

Even Terry himself has gone to Caruso to ask for valuable advice that could propel him to a bigger role in Chicago. He is the right type of player for that role, given he is a 6'7" forward with high-level athleticism.

"The Isaac addition was really good because he's a 6'7" guy who can guard everybody. Him, me, Julian (Phillips), Ayo (Dosunmu), Matas (Buzelis), Pat (Williams). We got a lot of guys who can guard," Terry said on a recent podcast.

"Speaking of Alex Caruso, I talked to him yesterday, asking him about how he carved out his career. Just what clicked for him that led him to figure out his role in that gray area. I want to take that next step."

As long as Terry can continue to have this mindset and avoid the mistakes like he did against Prince, he has a promising future as one of the Bulls' game-changing role players.