Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

Don’t Look Now, But Doug McDermott Can Play Defense

By Michael RENE KANOY

Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (11) looks to pass against Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Atlanta defeated Chicago 97-81. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (11) looks to pass against Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Atlanta defeated Chicago 97-81. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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After watching the Indiana Pacers game, you might have seen Doug McDermott step into the path of the Pacer wings and force a few turnovers, which fueled part of the Bulls running up the score on Saturday night.

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Doug McDermott scored nine points in the first half and 23 points overall in 27 minutes this past Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers.

But, what stood out to me was watching McDermott play great team defense all game long.

Part of the reason why the Bulls were able to disrupt the Pacers team in that game from running their transition game was the individual and team defense of the other guys like McDermott. After two games, the team is ranked 11th in team defense around the league and 1st in offense (111.5 PPG), ahead of the Golden State Warriors.

In the second quarter of the game, the Bulls locked down on the Pacers, disrupting their flow with defensive stops that forced an unstoppable transition offense that scored 38 points at the end of that quarter, virtually putting the game away. The Bulls outscored the Pacers in transition in the entire game, 30-14. The Pacers never recovered after that shellacking.

Check the 1:12 mark in the video below where the Pacer wing lost the ball because of good defensive positioning by McDermott. Michael Carter-Williams picked up the ball for a transition pass to a streaking McDermott.

Defensive stops like this happened all throughout the second quarter, with McDermott many times being in a position where Pacer entry passes were made more difficult or driving from the side resulted in turnovers which the Bulls converted on the other end.

The Pacers tried to attack McDermott on the wing at every opportunity, but with him learning not to be lost by planting his feet at just the right moment, forced awkward situations for the opposing playmaker wing or guard driving at him. His teammates recovered the ball via rebounds and picking off passes when the Pacers attacked McDermott, only to lose the ball.

Imagine that, Pacers players losing the ball attacking Doug at the wing? Impossible?

Watch the game again and you’ll see most of the transition points of the Bulls generated by some surprising McDermott defense. McDermott was even in a position in the post to make shots at the rim tough at times by just making a defensive stand and taking away angles of attack.

To top it all off, McDermott finished the game as the Bulls’ high scorer; bombing quick threes on consecutive Bulls possessions in the fourth quarter against a Pacer unit that didn’t know what hit them.

His other teammates, especially Isaiah Canaan and Michael Carter-Williams also created turnover opportunities for the Bulls in that explosive second quarter by picking the pockets of Jeff Teague or whichever Pacer was bringing up the ball.

Compared to last year, when both Derrick Rose and Aaron Brooks were the team’s only playmakers, the Bulls were chucking up shots early in the shot clock and lost games badly from not taking care of possessions.

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The new team this year is taking care of the ball and making their defense force the running game. Possessions count more for them and even when the Bulls take their time setting up, seldom do you see them going out of control. Even Nikola Mirotic is able to find his shooting rhythm over the course of a game and is almost unstoppable attacking an opponent one-on-one facing the basket.

Jimmy Butler, McDermott’s summer training buddy, is also taking care of the ball and not forcing shots, taking opportunities when the opposing defense is napping and not zoned in on him. Butler’s teammates are making it easier for the team to win against equally matched opponents. The Bulls, even in early October, were playing like a well-oiled scoring machine, while Indiana coach Nate McMillan, after consecutive blowout losses, was making excuses that his team had new guys on board and were taking time to jell.

Please. You guys beat the Bulls in the preseason with intense backdoor rim attacks and strong mid-range shooting; then lose all of that in the first two games of the regular season.

When Doug McDermott plays great team defense and still scores at a high clip, the Chicago Bulls can rest their “Three Alphas” early every game and be prepped for a long season with everyone peaking in time for a possible playoff run.

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