McDermott scores 31 points in one of his best games
Much has been said about Doug McDermott’s role and value to this Bulls team since he was drafted in 2014. He struggled to find the floor under Tom Thibodeau, a coach known for his reluctance to play young guys, especially those who don’t defend.
Last season, under new coach Fred Hoiberg, Doug shot 42.1 percent from three in 81 games.
This year, with a different roster and rotation, McDermott’s played through his ups and downs. His importance to this team can’t be defined until he becomes more consistent.
Before tonight, Dougie McBuckets was slumping in Chicago’s games against the Thunder, Wizards and Knicks.
McDermott is 4-22 over last 3 games for 13 points.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 13, 2017
For whatever reason, McDermott found a rhythm tonight, especially in the second quarter, leading the Bulls to an eleven point advantage in that period.
Doug scored his points in a variety of ways. Offensively, he has the tools to become a threat to opposing defenses.
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His first two points came from a backdoor court with time dwindling in the first. McDermott is hailed generally as a shooter. (Funnily enough, he’s shooting below league average this season.) However, he’s one of the best cutters on the Bulls. Maybe it’s a result of defenders fearing him from beyond the arc, but time and time again, Doug sneaks behind for easy layups and dunks.
He shot 3-of-6 from deep against Memphis. I’m by no means a shot doctor, but the flow in which his makes came from is notable. His third 3 of the game, and second quarter for that matter, came off a drag screen from Bobby Portis and was highly reminiscent of Kyle Korver in Atlanta two years ago.
With Troy Daniels guarding him, Doug posted up and drew a foul while sinking the jumper. It’ll be interesting to see Hoiberg incorporate more touches for Doug down low moving forward. He’s tall for most shooting guards and small forwards, and his quick release should allow him to fire off shots against those who can match up with him height-wise.
What’s to be expected from Doug moving forward? It’s hard to say. As previously mentioned, he has yet to find any semblance of consistency and is a minus on defense. On offense, he’s the team best shooter, although that’s not saying much. Doug works well with Rajon Rondo, whose only true contribution to this team as of late has been hitting cutters and finding shooters.
Even if McDermott isn’t scoring 30 a night, hitting a few shots and catching defenses off guard is enough of a contribution to take some of the weight off Jimmy and Dwyane Wade’s shoulders.