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Five Takeaways From the Chicago Bulls First Two Games

By Jeremy Karll

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Oct 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard E’Twaun Moore (55) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao (17) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

E’Twaun Moore and Doug McDermott want to play this year

Who would be the defensive specialist coming off the bench: Kirk Hinrich or E’Twaun Moore? Will Doug McDermott show enough during the preseason and early in the regular season to stay in the rotation once Mike Dunleavy returns?

Well right now, E’Twaun Moore and Doug McDermott are making strong statements about wanting to continue playing for the Bulls.

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    • Moore was supposed to be someone who could come off the bench and compliment Aaron Brooks offense with his defense while Derrick Rose was resting. He’s done a lot more than that. His defense has still been solid, but the thing that has been a pleasant surprise is his offense.

    During Chicago’s first game against Cleveland, Moore played more of the Aaron Brooks role than Brooks did. Brooks only shot 3-of-9, scoring six points. Moore shot an impressive 5-of-8, including a three, for 11 points off the bench. Moore played so well that Hinrich didn’t make it off the bench that game.

    Moore’s hot hand carried over in the Bulls second game where he added nine points in 17 minutes. Hinrich finally got some action off the bench, but that was probably more because they played the previous night and wanted to keep guys fresh.

    Moore has looked impressive so far. He passed the ball well and wasn’t afraid to take open shots. He should continue to see these types of minutes as long as he continues to produce. He wasn’t the only good surprise the Bulls had. Doug McDermott is finally starting to look like an NBA-caliber player.

    Say what you want about Tom Thibodeau and the short leash he gave McDermott, but that was not the only problem. There’s no doubt that it hurt his growth last year, but McDermott looked lost at times last year because the game was too fast for him at the time. He has a year under his belt now and he looks more confident on the court. His shots are falling and he’s not afraid to take an open jumper or drive to the basket.

    McDermott has scored eight points in each of the first two games on 6-of-11 shooting and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. He hasn’t gotten a ton of time, but if he sees around 15 minutes per game, then eight points per game is not bad production.

    His shot won’t be falling every game, but that’s just the life of any shooter. His shot struggled a little against Brooklyn, but he started to hit near the end of the game. It was nice to see him continue to be aggressive the whole game and right now, McDermott is showing that he should stick in the rotation once Dunleavy returns.

    Next: The front court is loaded

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