Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks: 5 Takeaways

Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) attempts a shot over Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Atlanta defeated Chicago 97-81. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) attempts a shot over Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Atlanta defeated Chicago 97-81. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (11) drives on Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (11) drives on Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Doug McDermott is not Kyle Korver

So how did Doug McDermott respond in his first Omaha basketball action since graduating Creighton as the consensus national player of the year, and the fifth-highest scoring college player ever (keep in mind, most of the best players don’t last four years before the pros beckon)?

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While he did have 16 points, the 6’8″ forward posted a plus-minus of -7, made only a third of his 15 shot attempts, had as many turnovers as he did rebounds (two), and he had as many assists for the Bulls as I did.

Okay fine fine, he also had one steal and made all four of his free throws, and that -7 mark was actually one of the better plus-minus ratings on the team last night. The shots that he did make were pretty nice, between off-balance floaters to crafty tear drops and lay-ins. The dude does have a stroke, but it wasn’t totally worth giving up Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic for him during the draft.

Fellow Creighton alum Korver had 16 points, too, but he got them kind of differently. The 6’7″ ex-Bull shot 6-for-10 overall (including 4/8 from deep), had four rebounds, six assists, a block, just one turnover, and notched a stellar +16 plus-minus, tied for the highest such stat on his team (with Kent Bazemore, a guy the Bulls totally could’ve signed this summer, but whatever).