Bulls’ New Look Next Year: Deadly Combo of McDermott and Mirotic
No matter what happens, after this season there will be changes. If GarPax keep Fred Hoiberg for a few more years to prove himself, will Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic be the new heroes for the Bulls?
The last time the Chicago press went on a tirade on anyone they disliked was when former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau got thrashed for losing to a depleted Cleveland Cavaliers lineup and showing his career-long tunnel vision as an NBA coach.
When Thibodeau was interviewed by ESPN after the third quarter of Game 6 against Cleveland, he nervously exclaimed: “We gotta get stops.” Thibodeau sat the shooters — Aaron Brooks, Mirotic and McDermott (and even Tony Snell, who defended LeBron James well in the regular season) for majority of six games and rode out the starters again, expecting a Boston Celtics-era win.
The headline on one Chicago sports page showed: “Good Riddance!”
Now with the end of the season just three games away, Jimmy Butler still in a daze after Tony Allen locked him down in what was supposed to be a cakewalk for the Bulls, we are hearing rumors about other team inquiries for Butler’s availability given that he doesn’t fit at all in Hoiberg’s pace-and-space offense. The new look for the Bulls next year may look nothing like Tom Thibodeau’s old team.
Next year, expect the new look Bulls to have a starting lineup finally featuring their recent prized draft picks: Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic.
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Both of them are inside-outside scoring threats who can create mismatches against many teams, but were called out some sports media analysts for not being tough enough on defense.
Over the course of the year, McDermott and Mirotic developed the toughness needed to hold their own on D. There is no need to worry about either needing to be two-way players because both were picked primarily because of their high-upside as pure NBA scorers.
The new look next year may disorient fans who are holding out for more of Butler, but the only way Hoiberg can win is to play the best players for his system.
When Butler got a knee injury that sidelined him before the All-Star break, McDermott stepped in and proved that he could carry the scoring load. He dropped 20 points in one quarter against the Toronto Raptors, then continuing with a string of 20-point games showing off various offensive moves from in-your-face dunks, 30-foot three point bombs, post ups, and floaters. Expect a lot of those for the Bulls after the long-rumored trades are offered and finally signed.
Unknown to most armchair Bulls critics, McDermott had been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a similar motif as Larry Bird in his Indiana State college uniform before his senior season in college.
McDermott at that time was flabbergasted by the comparison. “I thought they were crazy,” McDermott said. “I didn’t want to disrespect Larry like that. But I think it was a cool idea just to show some people that were around in that time maybe just a flash to the past. I’m glad I was the one chosen to do that, but obviously there’s never going to be another Larry Bird. But it’s cool to just kind of have a tribute to him with that cover.”
Most NBA fans might underestimate McDermott as just a catch-and-shoot, three-point specialist.
In fact, McDermott is a legit all-around clutch scorer who can really light it up without anyone noticing.
But, McDermott is utilized better as the centerpiece for the Bulls offense if partnered with Nikola Mirotic and Derrick Rose (if the Bulls keep him next year). If the Bulls run the offense thru McDermott or Rose and use both as pick-and-roll attackers, expect a deadlier Hoiball set than the current one with Butler. He isn’t fondly called Dougie McBuckets for nothing.
As part of the second unit with Mirotic, we’ve seen Doug’s numbers go down after Butler came back because the Bulls offense was run through Butler with mixed results; the most glaring being the four-game losing streak that probably cost the Bulls the season.
Related Story: Doug McDermott is looking more and more like an NBA player
Next year, Derrick Rose should get back up and needs to be spelled if the Bulls are playing at a more torrid pace. An 82-game schedule playing Hoiball should not be taken lightly. The Bulls should try their best to keep Rose because no one else is as good as his replacement, unless GarPax can finagle someone like Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves to pair with Mirotic; his teammate on the Spanish national basketball team.
Other than Rubio, no other point guard might be worth the trouble. Expect the Bulls to keep Rose. Remember that Bobby Portis and McDermott played outstandingly in the Bulls summer league last year with a small ball, three-guard lineup, so the Bulls should look into that too as a measure for getting more guards next year because they had too many players this year up front.
If you think of Hoiball as “just jumpshots”, you probably haven’t been watching McDermott and Mirotic play long enough to know that they can attack from anywhere. If the Bulls trade Butler this summer in exchange for Hoiball cogs on defense and find two more guys for the back-up point guard position, expect a more balanced and consistent offense lighting up the scoreboards from everywhere instead of running out of gas from ISO-hero ball.
Next: With Thursday's loss to Miami, the playoffs are all but a myth for Bulls
The potential new-look Bulls will be something all fans can look forward to and remember this year as part of the learning curve for the quest for a ring.
The Bulls cannot afford to stunt the development of the entire team for one more NBA season in favor of an aging All-Star/HOF center and “Hollywood-as-Hell” you-know-who.