Chicago Bulls Rookies…The Preseason of Doug McDermott

There seems to be a very different vibe around the United Center when it comes to the plans and goals of the Chicago Bulls. It’s a drastic change from what was expected last year. The Chicago Bulls have gone from planning an alleged tank job to making it to the playoffs to building a possible title contender.

The Chicago Bulls wisely didn’t cry in their beer when Carmelo Anthony took his talents back to New York city. The front office brought in Pau Gasol, brought in the overseas legend Nikola Mirotic and slowly built a bench to surround Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Then on NBA Draft night, the Bulls pulled a trade to bring in the subject of this article, one of the prized Chicago Bulls rookies…

Oct 11, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) takes a shot against Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson (31) in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bulls beat the Bucks 91-85 in a pre-season game. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Doug McDermott.

Doug “Ray” McDermott has done everything right in training camp so far. Even to the point that he accomplished something that no other rookie has been able to do in the Tom Thibodeau era…start. McDermott had the opportunity to start on Saturday against the  Milwaukee Bucks while the Bulls rested Mike Dunleavy’s rested knee. Doug McDermott starting as a rookie might be the most shocking thing that has happened in Chicago since the Bulls winning the lottery to draft Derrick Rose years back. Tom Thibodeau has been impressed with the attitude and hard work McDermott has shown throughout the preseason and training camp. There have reports that McDermott has “Swag”…

Come on now…really?

With the Bulls contending for a championship this year, it has been an amazing story that McDermott is even challenging for a starting spot in the rotation as opposed to wondering if he will get on the floor in the first place.

If Tom Thibodeau’s  tenure as Chicago Bulls head coach has shown anything it has shown us two things. One, he has just as much trust in rookies as I have hair and two, if players have not figured out how to play his defensive schemes, they will not play. Thibodeau does not care how well you can score the ball, if you can’t play on the defensive side of the ball, you don’t play. Think I’m kidding? Has anyone seen Carlos Boozer in the Windy City lately?

Let’s take a look at the “Thibby” trend Doug McDermott is trying to buck here.

Apr 29, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple (17) defends during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at United Center. The Wizards won 75-69 and won the series 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Butler.

Do you remember back in the day when Jimmy Butler was modeling NBA benches as a rookie? The same Jimmy Butler that has been destroying everyone in his path in this preseason. Well Butler only averaged 8.5 minutes a game in his rookie season and  it was not too much better in the lockout shortened season. He only got to see the floor 42 times in 66 games. It was only injuries and the eventual trade of Luol Deng that got Butler a chance to play in the first place.

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Marquis Teague.

Let’s just say that Marquis Teague was not a player that Tom Thibodeau would use except for a warm body in practice and if he suited up to play (which wasn’t often) he makes sure that the lay up line was even.

Apr 20, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Wizards forward Martell Webster (9) and Chicago Bulls guard Tony Snell (20) after colliding during the second quarter of game one of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Snell.

Snell played 77 games last year. He only played when Thibodeau had no choice. The contributions were inconsistent to say the least during the regular season and in the playoffs he made many of us wonder why he was out there in the first place. Notice Snell’s sitting right? Picture him in that position in a chair in warmups.

Mar 7, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) and center Omer Asik (3) reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

The only player that made it through to the rotation was Omer Asik, a second round pick who was the back up center on the real Bench Mob back in 2010-11. If anyone doesn’t remember him, he’s the guy in Houston that demanded to be traded when Dwight Howard came to town.

Even Tom Thibodeau was shocked. Check out what he said about Omer Asik per the Bleacher Report…

"“With Omer, when I went into the season, I didn’t know how good he would be.,” Thibodeau said after a recent practice. “I played him in the preseason and I loved the way he worked in the preseason. He played well and he kept playing, and by the end of the season we had a lot of confidence in him. He was closing games for us. I’m not ruling anything out.”"

There is a difference in situations between Asik and McDermott however. Asik wasn’t asked to be an offensive threat. His job was to be a defender and be an enforcer. It does help when you have Derrick Rose at the peak of his powers like he was before the knee injuries.

Doug McDermott has a better chance to succeed. First the Bulls need him on the floor to knock down outside shots. Number two, Chicago is thin at small forward with Tony Snell going in the wrong direction of the depth chart and Mike Dunleavy as the starter.

McDermott has already shown that he has bounce back abilities which is very important in the NBA game. After shooting 3-for-12 from the field against the Detroit Pistons, Doug showed the growth coming into his start against the Bucks.

McDermott admits that his inconsistency is based on nerves and the normal rookie adjustment to the NBA game.

Check out what he facing and the advice he is getting per the Bleacher Report.

"“It’s so much quicker,” McDermott said after one practice. “There are times out there  on offense where the coach is already screaming that there’s three seconds left on the shot clock. You’ve got to be a lot quicker, and defensively you’ve got to be a lot more physical.”“I think I still have a ways to go learn the terminology and get on the same page with some of these guys.” said McDermott. ” I think I can become a good defender, especially a team defender.”"

Apr 2, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) shoots a three point shot in the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Philips Arena. The Bulls won 105-92. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Well the Bulls sure hope so. The sexy reference and comparison everyone is using is to another Creighton product, Kyle Korver. He was never a good one on one defender, but Thibodeau’s defensive schemes covered his flaws.

Mar 23, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Creighton Bluejays forward Doug McDermott (3) shoots against the Baylor Bears in the first half of a men

Breaking News to Pippen Ain’t Easy! Doug McDermott can shoot…well. He’s the fifth leading scorer in the history of NCAA Division I college basketball. You have to be able to hit a jumper or two to accomplish that feat. Being on the floor with Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah means he will have ample opportunities to continue his jump shooting tradition. The key will be what he does on the other end which will be the barometer of how long he will have the opportunities.

The Chicago Bulls have a game on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks. Can Doug McDermott continue his rise into the Chicago Bulls starting lineup at the end of the month? It doesn’t matter if “Ray” starts or not, Pippen Ain’t Easy will be right here with analysis of Doug McDermott and all the players on the Chicago Bulls roster. Keep it locked to Pippen Ain’t Easy for all of your Chicago Bulls news, previews and reviews. Leave your comments below and let your voices be heard. The NBA season starts in about two weeks.

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