Bulls Blakeney takes home G-League rookie of year award
The Windy City Bulls missed out on the playoffs but picked up some hardware Thursday when Antonio Blakeney was named G-League rookie of the year.
Blakeney, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from LSU, led the G-League in scoring by a wide margin, averaging 32.0 points. He played 32 games for Windy City and 19 for the varsity Chicago Bulls this season.
Blakeney was told the news in front of his Bulls teammates before practice at the Advocate Center. He's out for the season with a broken left wrist.
"That was the first he heard of it. He did not know he was getting that award," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "So it was a really cool moment for his teammates to be excited and he thanked Arch (Ryan Arcidiacono) for giving him all those passes in the G-League.
"But to average 32 points shows he's got a skill to be able to score the basketball, showed it at times at this level. But 20-year-old kid, he's got unbelievable athleticism, he can get a shot up whenever he wants to. He's a guy that I think has got a great future."
Blakeney and Arcidiacono were the Bulls two-way players this season, a role designed to split time between the G-League and NBA team.
It's not clear whether either player will be part of the organization next season, but the arrangement seemed to work well this season.
"I definitely think they like me," Blakeney said. "Obviously, any player out here will have that opportunity so I'm just going to look at it like that. I'm no different than anybody else out here.
"All of us are good players. So when you go out there you've got to compete. Everybody's going to be competing for a rotation spot."
Blakeney got off to a fast start, scoring 35, 44 and 46 points in his first three games with Windy City. His best games with the Bulls were 16 points, accomplished twice.
"I had a lot of good memories in the G League and the league (NBA)," he said. "That Lakers game (on Nov. 21) was very fun for me. The first game I actually got to do a little bit. I got to show myself I can play in the league a little bit."
Blakeney scored all 15 of his points in the first half against the Lakers and had a memorable dunk against Julius Randle.
As far as being a two-way player, obviously anyone would prefer to be an NBA-only player, but Blakeney didn't mind the arrangement. He agreed to the deal after playing well for the Bulls' summer squad last July.
"I think it's OK," he said. "Obviously, it gives you an opportunity to play in the league. It gives you an opportunity to develop. It's always good when you have a chance to do both and still be able to make a decent amount of money. So it's OK."
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