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Doug McDermott must step up for Chicago Bulls

By Ashish Mathur

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The Bulls were dealt a blow over the weekend with the news that starting forward Mike Dunleavy will be out 8-10 weeks after undergoing back surgery. Dunleavy is by far the Bulls most consistent outside shooter and will be missed in the lineup until he returns. The table is set for second year player Doug McDermott to step up and take advantage of this opportunity.

Last season, the Bulls were without Dunleavy for a stretch of games due to a lower leg injury he suffered on New Years Day, and the Bulls weren’t the same team without him. The team went 9-10 without Dunleavy, and even though there were other factors in place at the time that contributed to the teams struggles, it was clear that the Bulls missed his shooting ability and veteran experience on the floor.

Without Dunleavy being in the lineup, opposing defenses crashed the paint against the Bulls, knowing that they didn’t have to worry about any of the Bulls players beating them from the outside.

With Dunleavy probably being out for a stretch of time early in the season, second-year player Doug McDermott is in prime position to contribute to the team and make a name for himself in the NBA. His ability to stretch the floor and create floor spacing with his shooting ability will be crucial for the Bulls to succeed without Dunleavy.

Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls /

Chicago Bulls

Dunleavy led all Bulls players in three-point field-goal percentage last season at 40.7 percent. Almost half of his shots were spot-up 3’s set up by the penetration of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler.

Dunleavy can’t create a shot for himself but is a proven knock down shooter, and the Bulls are going to miss that.

Even LeBron James recognizes how important Dunleavy is to a team. There were reports that LeBron was actively trying to recruit Dunleavy to join the Cavs early in free agency, but Dunleavy opted to sign back with the Bulls.

The Bulls will still be an elite team while Dunleavy rehabs his injury because they have the personnel to still play at a high level. However, they will need McDermott to step in his place and perform right away.

McDermott had a rough go around in his first year in the NBA. After dominating the college ranks, he had a hard time adjusting to the NBA and was pretty much a bench warmer the entire year. He didn’t get that much playing time under former coach Tom Thibodeau and battled through a knee injury which forced him to have surgery and miss some time.

With Dunleavy out, McDermott instantly becomes the Bulls best perimeter shooter and will have a lot of the same looks that Dunleavy had within the flow of the offense. Spot-up 3’s on the fast break and catch and shoot on down screens from the big men will be the offensive role that McDermott has to knock down.

Under new coach Fred Hoiberg, McDermott should succeed in this role due to his familiarity with Hoiberg’s up tempo offense. He looked more confident in summer league and was aggressive on the offensive end. He has to take that confidence with him to training camp now and build on it, as his role has just become more important to the team now with this injury to Dunleavy.

McDermott says he has a good feel of Hoiberg’s system and thinks he can fit in well.

“€œI have a good sense of his style,€ McDermott said. I think I’ll fit in great. He has a great offensive mind. His team (at Iowa State) shot a lot of 3s. They ran a lot of pick-and-rolls, and I assume Derrick (Rose) will be in a lot more pick-and-rolls.

“I feel I can be a great spacer for the team and show my versatility a little more. I can see (Hoiberg) playing like the Warriors, going small and using shooters.”

Defense is going to be an issue for McDermott, as he doesn’t have the lateral quickness or defensive awareness to guard at this level. That’s probably why Thibodeau didn’t play him last year, as Thibodeau was a defensive guy and valued players who could defend over players who could score.

Hoiberg has a reputation of being an offensive coach and will utilize Doug’s offensive skills well in the new offensive scheme he is implementing.

The Bulls have a good enough defense to cover for McDermott on the defensive end, but he needs to improve on that side of the ball no matter what. As long as he’s hitting his open shots and stretching the floor, McDermott has a chance to have a breakout second season.

Teams are going to double Pau Gasol in the post, and Rose and Butler attract multiple defenders anytime they penetrate the basket. This is why Dunleavy is so important to the team, as he was the one player who was spacing and stretching the floor for the Bulls to allow others guys to do their thing.

The Bulls’ floor spacing under Thibodeau was awful to begin with, but without Dunleavy last season, the Bulls shooting and floor spacing was nowhere to be found. With Dunleavy, they had a knock down shooter and a veteran player with a high IQ of the game who always made the right play.

The Bulls are lucky that they have McDermott to step in and fill the same role Dunleavy did. McDermott has to show the Bulls that he’s ready to play significant minutes in the NBA and contribute in a positive manner.

Training camp was already going to be crucial for the Bulls this season as the team needs to develop chemistry under a new coach and offensive philosophy. It is now more imperative for the starters and staff to build up McDermott’s confidence and teach him the subtle nuances of succeeding on the NBA level. There is no doubting his shooting ability, and that’s why the team drafted him, but he has to prove that he can do it on the big stage now and be consistent in his play.

Dunleavy’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for the Bulls. It allows McDermott and another sharp shooter, Tony Snell, to get more playing time and boost their confidence.

The hope here is that once Dunleavy returns, the Bulls staff can ease him back slowly and smoothly into the lineup because of the play of McDermott and maybe Snell. Snell to me looks more of a 2-guard but we’ll see where Hoiberg plays him.

The stage is set for McDermott to step up and fill the role that Dunleavy had. A case could be made that McDermott is a better shooter than Dunleavy and that would be great for the Bulls offense since they lack perimeter shooting.

McDermott needs to play well while Dunleavy is out. The Bulls gave up a lot to trade up for McDermott in the NBA draft, and he needs to prove this season that he was worth it.

Doug McDermott, your table is ready.

Next: Management Of Minutes Crucial For Bulls' Success

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