Javon Freeman-Liberty making most of Bulls' summer league opportunity
Javon Freeman-Liberty making most of Bulls' summer league opportunity originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
NBA Summer League is a job interview. And for fringe players, it's not just for the team whose uniform they're wearing but for all 30 in the league.
And so who knows if Javon Freeman-Liberty will turn his sizzling, three-game showing into a contract with the Chicago Bulls, which could have a two-way spot available. But the Whitney Young High School and DePaul product (by way of a transfer from Valparaiso) is doing all he can to live out his NBA dream somewhere.
The Bulls are 2-1 following Tuesday night's late victory over the Sacramento Kings. Through three games, Freeman-Liberty is averaging a team-high 21.3 points on sublime 53.7 percent shooting, including an impressive 46.7 percent from 3-point range on 5 attempts per game. He's also tied for the team lead with 5 assists per game.
Freeman-Liberty also played summer league for the Bulls last season after going undrafted and then averaged 18.4 points in 17 games for the Windy City Bulls in the G League last season. In those games, he also displayed a reliable outside shot, connecting at 49.8 percent overall and 37.6 percent from 3-point range.
The nephew of Marcus Liberty, the former Illinois high school legend, University of Illinois standout and Denver Nuggets' second-round pick in 1990, Freeman-Liberty has displayed a fearlessness and confidence offensively that has permeated the team.
“All my life I’ve been fighting to get here and I feel I’m still not (there)," Freeman-Liberty told Bulls.com reporter Sam Smith last week in Las Vegas. "So I’ve still got that chip on my shoulder, motivated each and every day to come in and compete."
The Bulls face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in their next summer league contest. Look for Freeman-Liberty to stay aggressive.
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