One of the often-forgotten star players for the Chicago Bulls over the past couple of decades is the two-time All-Star small forward and one-time All-Defensive Team selection Luol Deng. The seventh overall pick of the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft (later traded to the Bulls on draft night, though) played in Chicago for 10 seasons.
Deng should’ve received at least one or two more All-Star nods than he did in his accomplished career to. It’s hard to believe that the 2006-07 campaign especially didn’t garner him an All-Star selection. In 2006-07, he averaged around 19 points per game, seven rebounds, three assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He also started in every single regular season game from that campaign.
Moreover, it wasn’t necessarily flashy stats that saw Deng make a name for himself with the Bulls. He was one of the most consistent and reliable two-way forces that played for the Bulls in the last 30 years. And he definitely didn’t get the appreciation of his contributions at the level that someone like Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, etc. did.
Luol Deng was the ultimate two-way force on the wing for the Bulls. He had the most individual games with a net rating of at least +20, by a good margin, for the Bulls from 1996-present. pic.twitter.com/LQjllyM9I0
— Pippen Ain't Easy (@BullsBeatBlog) August 24, 2021
The two-way value that Deng provided is highlighted by the fact that he is the only Bulls player to have well over 50 games individually with a net rating of at least +20. From 2004-2014, Deng posted a net rating of at least +20 in 53 individual games. The next best of any Bulls player since the 1996-97 was point guard Kirk Hinrich, with 39.
Former Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng was one of the biggest net positives in recent franchise history
But Hinrich had more than 150 regular season games to get that number with the Bulls than Deng did.
Deng also contributed nearly 60 career win shares during the regular season, and six win shares in the playoffs, for the Bulls. His box plus/minus in his 10 seasons with the team was 1.4, and his value over replacement player rating was 19.4.
For good measure, here’s a look at comparable stats from six seasons of Butler:
-BPM: 3.8
-VORP: 18.9
-WS: 49.3
You definitely have to take into account when comparing these numbers that Deng did have around three and a half more seasons in Chicago than Butler. Still, Deng doesn’t get near the level of recognition for his efforts with the Bulls compared to Butler.
Deng was a true model of consistency for the Bulls for the better part of a decade. He was also a part of one of the most potent starting lineups in team history at the outset of the 2013-14 regular season. Deng was often in a starting unit consisting of D-Rose, Butler, Noah, and Carlos Boozer, at the outset of the 2013-14 campaign.
Granted, we would later see Deng dished out to the Cleveland Cavaliers to make way for a bigger role for Butler. And Rose would only play in 25 regular season games thanks to further injury issues that campaign.
All in all, it’s tough to overlook some of the valued contributions that Deng gave to the Bulls on both ends of the floor during his decade-long run with the team. He is one of the most underrated two-way forwards in the NBA since the turn of the century.
The Bulls might have a similar forward waiting in the wings that could use Deng as a learning point in his development. Former Florida State Seminoles forward Patrick Williams is in his second year with the team and showed a lot of two way potential as a rookie last season.