Ever since 2008 when the Chicago Bull’s struck draft lottery gold with the improbable seizure of the number one pick and subsequent selection of Derrick Rose , the Bulls have had tremendous success in their draft day endeavors. Although there have been some disappointments over the years (Murphy, Teague, Snell?) this doesn’t take away from the fact that Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah are all homegrown players that have been drafted by Chicago over the last decade. Despite the abundance of stellar draft picks over the years, the 2014 batch of Bull’s rookies may be the most highly hyped duo of youngsters in the recent history of the franchise.
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Doug McDermott (Creighton) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number eleven overall pick to the Denver Nuggets in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Bull’s executed a draft and trade strategy in order to acquire their pre-draft target Doug McDermott in the 2014 NBA draft last summer. With the 16th and 19th pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft, the Bull’s selected Euro star Jusuf Nurkic and Michigan State guard Gary Harris respectively. Shortly after drafting both players, the Bull’s packaged the tandem in a deal with the Nuggets that sent Nurkic, Harris and a future 2nd round pick to Denver in exchange for 11th pick Doug McDermott and forward Anthony Randolph. In a draft stacked with NBA ready talent, sharpshooter Doug McDermott had fallen all the way down to the 11th pick in the draft after being projected by many experts to be a lock top 10 pick. The Bulls got their man, and the expectations that followed McDermott to Chicago were off the charts high.
King James Gospel
McDermott enjoyed an illustrious career at Creighton University, earning a reputation as a prolific scorer capable of taking over games with his offensive ability. He finished his four year college career with 3,150 points which ranks 5th on the all-time career points list. He averaged 21.6 points per game over his four year career, including a career high 26.7 points per game when Creighton moved to the tough Big East Conference his senior year (they were previously in the Missouri Valley Conference). The biggest issue with Doug McDermott was whether he possessed the ability to play NBA level defense his first year coming out of college considering he isn’t the quickest or most athletic player to ever be drafted in the first round. Tom Thibodeau assured Bull’s nation that he felt like McDermott would adjust well to his convoluted defensive system, and expectations surrounding the Creighton alum remained lofty.