Jaylin Sellers gave the Windy City Bulls exactly the kind of night that makes roster conversations start to get louder.
With the G League season opening at home for Chicago’s affiliate, Windy City rolled to a pair of high-scoring wins, and Sellers was right in the middle of the second one. The two-way guard put together a performance that looked less like a developmental stop and more like a player forcing the issue: 29 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds in a 135-128 win over the Noblesville Boom.
He didn’t even finish as the team’s top scorer. That honor went to Drew Peterson, who poured in 33 points in 38 minutes. But Sellers was the one who kept jumping off the floor with the mix of burst, touch and control that Chicago has already started to notice.
The scoring came in a bunch of different ways. Sellers shot 10-21 from the field and 5-9 from three, and he repeatedly found ways to get downhill.
He powered through contact on several drives, using his upper-body strength to finish at the rim, and at 6-foot-5 he showed the kind of size that lets him play through traffic. One of the loudest plays of the night was an explosive drive from the top of the key that ended with a dunk.
That shooting stroke matters just as much. Sellers came into college with a reputation as a shooter, but his limited NBA run with the Bulls hasn’t always reflected that.
Saturday looked more like the version Chicago has been waiting for. Over his first two G League games, he has drilled nine threes, and he also knocked down four against the New York Knicks earlier this week.
If that outside shot keeps holding, the path to a standard NBA contract gets a lot easier to imagine.
The passing was a good sign too. Sellers was more scorer than distributor at Providence, and that still seems to be his identity, but he handled lead-guard duties with more confidence here.
That part of his game was shakier in Summer League, where he often seemed tunnel-visioned. This was only one game, but it offered a glimpse of a player who might be expanding his value beyond pure shot-making.
That matters because Sellers has already been trending upward inside the organization. Signed to a two-way deal on draft night, he was the Bulls’ second-best player in Summer League and has kept climbing Tiago Splitter’s rotation picture. He has already appeared in five regular season games despite being on a two-way contract, and his style fits what this new-look Bulls group wants to do: run in transition, space the floor and defend hard on the ball.
The Bulls may not need much convincing if this keeps up. Sellers looked comfortable, aggressive and productive in a way that made the next step feel very real. G League numbers don’t always carry over, but this was the kind of showing that gets noticed.
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Nic Claxtons return is giving the Bulls something they have not had much of yet this season: a real frontcourt choice. After missing time with a preseason left hamstring strain, Claxton is back on the verge of debuting with a minutes restriction, and coach Tiago Splitter is already talking about trying different combinations to see what fits best. For a team still sorting through a difficult start, even a healthy big man can change the conversation quickly.
The most interesting part is where Claxton fits once he is available. Splitter wants to look at lineups with Claxton and Jalen Smith together, which could alter the rotation and force some tough decisions elsewhere on the roster. With trade chatter already hanging over the Bulls as they search for answers, this is no longer just about getting Claxton on the floor. It is about how much the team is willing to reshape around him. [Read more 🡒]
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There is still a catch, though, and it matters for how much immediate impact he can make. Claxton is not expected to be thrown back into a full workload right away, so the Bulls will have to balance the value of having him available with the reality that his return is more about easing back into game shape than instantly solving every frontcourt issue. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Face Two Rotation Questions Against Philly
Chicago heads into its matchup with Philadelphia still sorting through the ripple effects of a crowded injury report, and the timing could hardly be worse. The Bulls are trying to piece together a rotation while getting Nic Claxton ready for his debut after a hamstring injury, with Jalen Smith also listed as probable despite a finger issue. Zach Collins and Dailyn Swain have already been ruled out, leaving the frontcourt and the bench thinner than usual.
Norman Powells status is another layer of uncertainty after he was added to the report with a sore right shoulder, while Tobe Awaka is also questionable with an MCL sprain. For a team trying to stabilize its minutes against the 76ers, the Bulls may not know until closer to tipoff how much flexibility they actually have, and that leaves plenty of room for the rotation to shift once the game starts. [Read more 🡒]