Dalen Terry is trying to make the most of meager minutes. Is it time for the Chicago Bulls to play the rookie guard more?

Dalen Terry was fired up. In the third quarter of a Chicago Bulls loss Monday to the Orlando Magic, he stooped under the long reach of Bol Bol to swipe at the ball, earning a push to the chest in response — and his favorite type of whistle.

As the referee signaled for an offensive foul, Terry stumbled backward, turned toward the stands and crushed his forehead directly into the stanchion.

This wasn’t the first — and certainly won’t be the last — time Terry head-butted the padding under the basket. In fact, it has become something of a pregame tradition for the rookie, often accompanied by veteran forward and fellow hype man Javonte Green.

“I’ve been doing it lately just to create energy for myself,” Terry said. “I’ll do anything.”

Terry went on to shrug off any concerns about giving himself a concussion via celebration: “Nah, I do crazier stuff than that to myself all the time.”

That’s easy to believe. Going headfirst into the basket is an easy summation of Terry’s presence on the court — overeager, slightly out of control, like a puppy still growing into his paws. Teammates and coaches consistently praise his energy, even if it results in mistakes.

Despite the loss Monday, the game highlighted how Terry’s energy can change a game. He logged four points and two steals in 8 minutes, 44 seconds while jolting the Bulls into a faster pace after a sluggish first half.

“The game gets really, really fast for him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He plays with that frenetic pace — and I say that very complimentary. He’s very energized but sometimes he gets going too fast. It looked like the game slowed down for him a little tonight.”

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But Terry hasn’t had the chance to prove himself — he has played in only 21 of 57 games, and most of that was mop-up duty. And even though Terry isn’t playing for the Bulls, he has been sent down to the G League for only two games.

Terry has logged only 142 minutes — 72 with the Bulls, 70 with Windy City — on a court two-thirds of the way through his rookie season. Is it time for that to change?

The Bulls sit a half-game out of the play-in bracket with only eight weeks left in the season. This is the time to start digging deep in the toolbox — even if that means throwing a rookie into a game to shake things up.

And it’s not as if the Bulls have a wealth of other options. DeMar DeRozan is nursing a strained right thigh. Derrick Jones Jr. injured his left hamstring/adductor Monday. Alex Caruso drops in and out of the lineup with a left foot injury. Javonte Green still hasn’t returned to practice because of a right knee injury.

Either way, the rookie needs to play. Terry has repeated this assertion since he arrived in Chicago. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the G League or the NBA — he just wants to be on the court.

“I just want to be myself,” Terry said. “I know what our team needs. We talk about it day in and day out. Honestly, I’m just trying to get in where I fit in.”