When Kris Dunn’s underwhelming rookie season ended, he said in his exit interview with Timberwolves coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau that he would be back to work after taking off less than a week.
He didn’t lie.
“I felt very strongly about Kris when we drafted him,” Thibodeau said. “And I felt he was going to have a great year this year, not just based on the conversation but the way he followed it up with his work before the trade. Kris is a very intelligent kid. He’s a tough kid, stubborn in a good way, and he was highly motivated.
“The defensive part of it, he had that coming in. The offensive part, he put a lot of work into it and he has played very well.”
Just as he isn’t surprised by Dunn’s emergence this season, Thibodeau also watched firsthand as Zach LaVine attacked the early stages of his rehab after left ACL surgery. LaVine suffered the injury last February while playing for Thibodeau.
“When you look at his growth as a player, his athleticism was very obvious from the beginning,” Thibodeau said. “But he was a very streaky shooter and he made himself into a terrific shooter. That was a byproduct of his work.
“He loves to be in the gym (and) he approached his rehab the same way. You almost had to slow him down. You knew he would come back strong.”
Thibodeau also worked out Lauri Markkanen and would have drafted him at No. 7 if the Timberwolves and Bulls hadn’t engaged on the Jimmy Butler trade. So Thibodeau intimately knows all three players who form the Bulls’ rebuilding core.
Fresh face: Acquired from the Trail Blazers on Thursday, Noah Vonleh, who will wear No. 30, landed on the inactive list. Coach Fred Hoiberg said there’s a chance Vonleh will be activated Saturday against the Wizards, but he won’t play until he gets in some practice time.
“I like Noah; always have,” Hoiberg said. “He has a great body. He’s athletic. He was raining in 3s against us last week in Portland, so he does have a good skill set.
“We’ll try to integrate him as quickly as possible. At some point, I think he will get an opportunity.”
Layups: As expected, the Bulls officially waived Tony Allen, who was acquired from the Pelicans in the Nikola Mirotic trade. The Chicago native is drawing early interest from the Rockets and Thunder, per league sources. . . . Hoiberg said Dunn had no setbacks after exiting the league’s concussion protocol and practicing Wednesday and Thursday.
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