Chicago Bulls vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 Takeaways

Dougie Buckets Needs More Shots

Doug McDermott was ninth in 3-point percentage among players who took at least 100 3-pointers last season. He shot an incredible 42.5 percent from 3-point range on 3.1 attempts per game. Coming into the season, it’s safe to say that most people expected that attempt number to go up considering how 3-point challenged the rest of the roster was shaping up to be.

Next: Bulls vs. Timberwolves: Analysis after 99-94 loss to the Thibs-led Wolves

However, Doug is averaging only 2.5 attempts per game from deep so far this season. Players with a higher attempt number include Marreese Speights, Marc Gasol, and fellow-teammate-who’s-currently-shooting-28.4-percent-from-3 Nikola Mirotic (guess from just this article how this writer feels about Nikola Mirotic). Anthony Bennett is averaging only .2 attempts per game fewer than Doug.

Although it is true that Doug is still coming back from an unusually long concussion-related absence, this trend had begun before he started missing games. McDermott’s defensive woes are well-documented. He’s on the court for one reason and one reason only, but for some reason, he’s been relegated to standing in the corner far too often, only rarely getting action on backdoor cuts or his 2.5 spot ups per game.

It’s also true that Doug can help the offense without shooting a single shot. His mere reputation as a sharpshooter sucks his defender out to the corner with him, opening up driving lanes and making everything easier. This is why spacing is so prized in the NBA right now.

That being said, 3 points is still more valuable that a slightly clearer lane. If Doug is going to be on the court getting beaten on Zach LaVine drives and barely containing Ricky Rubio 1-on-1, it would be smart to take advantage of his talents on the other end.