Bulls sign sharpshooter Andrew Funk to a two-way contract |
After failing to do anything at the trade deadline once again, the Chicago Bulls have had a busy last couple of days. Some of that was more about filling out their active rosters, while you also had more injury issues to address.
With Torrey Craig revealing he would miss the next two to four weeks with a knee injury, the Bulls received word shortly after that Patrick Williams would now miss the rest of the season with a foot injury. He will undergo a similar surgery to Zach Lavine. One year is knee injuries, and the next, it seems to be foot injuries as the Bulls continue to go through a rash of untimely injuries. Not doing anything at the deadline was frustrating for fans, especially when you had guys like Joe Harris on the buyout market, who you could've added for perimeter help. Chicago addressed their lack of perimeter shooting by adding Onurlap Bitim to a contract and terminating the two-way deal he was previously on. That took care of the final open roster spot for the Bulls, but it also left a void on the G-League team for one of their better scorers. The Bulls then brought back a familiar face in Ryan Arcidiacono to replace Bitim, but the team wasn't done there as they have also added sharpshooter Andrew Funk for what is now a two-way deal. The 24-year-old Funk will replace Bitim on the Windy City roster and join Adama Sanogo and Henri Drell as other players with two-way deals. That means Funk can bounce between the G-League and the NBA the rest of the way, and for a team lacking consistent perimeter shooting, he may find a way to land on the bench while the Bulls await the return of Craig. A former Bucknell Bison for four seasons, Funk eventually transferred to Penn State for a fifth year of eligibility before going undrafted in 2023. Funk would ultimately choose to join the Denver Nuggets organization, where he has put together some pretty good numbers in the G-League. For the season, Funk has played in 20 games, 19 coming as starts. He has averaged over 37 minutes in those contests, putting up 14.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 3.4 APG. He did that while shooting a putrid 39% from the field, but most importantly, 39% from beyond the arc. That shows that he has a wonderful touch from distance, but not much from inside the three-point line. Adding another Guard, even on a G-League deal, may be different from what the Bulls need right now, but he does possess a highly specialized skillset that this team lacks. He is currently tied for the second-most 3-point makes in the G-League this season (71) and has done that at close to a 40% clip. That has also come with close to 10 attempts per game, which shows you that he is averaging close to four makes per contest. Looking at those numbers, it is easy to figure out why the Bulls added him and want him inside their organization. They want, and you could even say they need, more perimeter shooting, which Funk will bring to the table at both the G-League and NBA levels. Granted most if not all of his success will come in the G-League, Funk could see some time with Craig on the mend even if it is only a handful of minutes each time out. Although the Bulls have improved from their 27th ranking in threes last season, they still rank just 24th in the league in total threes made this season and rank 21st in overall three-point percentage. That isn't ideal when you look at how much more the three-point shot dictates the league, so any additional help is needed. At 6-5 and 200 pounds, Funk is a bigger guard than most, which makes him a candidate to guard multiple positions, but don't look for Funk to be anything more than a specialist at this point. Two-way roster spots are all about taking chances, and for a franchise that hasn't done much to improve shooting, taking a chance on Funk seems like a good fit.
