Players That Mirotic Is Competing For Playing Time With:
Joakim Noah: 6 missed games
Pau Gasol: 3 missed games
Taj Gibson: 7 missed games
As Opposed to the Players that McDermott is Competing With For Playing Time:
Jimmy Butler: 2 missed games
Mike Dunleavy: 0 missed games
Also working against McDermott is the fact that the Bull’s frequently go with two of their point guards out on the floor at the same time. Every point guard on the roster except for E’twaun Moore is further up on the depth chart than McDermott so when the Bull’s go with a two point guard line-up, there are even fewer spots for McDermott to fill-in. In addition, Butler and Dunleavy have missed very few games this season (knock on wood) so McDermott hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to take on more responsibility by filling in for injured teammates and show what he can do. With the myriad of injuries sustained by the big man rotation of the Chicago Bulls, Mirotic has been given extra playing time and has made the most of his opportunities. This right here is the difference and a large part of the reason that Mirotic has played more minutes this season than McDermott.
Nov 24, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Chicago won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Your turn to chime in! Did I hit the nail on the head when explaining the discrepancy between the playing time of the two rookies or am I completely off? Please comment! As always, I appreciate anybody and everybody that takes the time to read what I have written on this site.