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Doug McDermott: Bulls SF Hoping To Bounce Back In Year 2

By James D. Tillman III

Mar 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) in his warm up jacket before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 104-95. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) in his warm up jacket before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 104-95. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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While there were multiple players who shined for the Chicago Bulls last season, first-year forward Doug McDermott was not one of them.

Following one of the most successful collegiate careers in recent memory in which he was named the consensus player of the year and led the nation in scoring with 26.7 points per contest, it was presumed that the former Creighton standout would contribute sooner rather than later.

Initially, it appeared that would be the case, as McDermott reached double figures twice in the first four games of the season. Unfortunately, that would be the beginning the of the end, as the saying goes.

Nov 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) drives to the net as Philadelphia 76ers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) defends during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) drives to the net as Philadelphia 76ers forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) defends during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

Not only did his production tail off shortly after that, but McDermott also sustained a knee injury in mid-December that would sideline him for six weeks. And when he did return to the lineup, he didn’t see a lot playing time to say the least.

In fact, McDermott finished the 2014-15 season with pedestrian averages of 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in just 8.9 minutes per contest. And in the postseason, his playing time decreased even further to 3.3 minutes per contest, as he appeared in just three of Chicago’s postseason games.

Along with that, McDermott was a 46 percent shooter from beyond the arc during his four years at Creighton, but he converted just 31.7 percent of his 41 attempts from distance in his first season with the Bulls. But despite the less than memorable rookie campaign, McDermott continues to remain upbeat about the future, as reported by the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson:

"‘I didn’t really have a whole lot of adversity in college playing for my dad and the comfort level we had. I felt like that’s what this rookie year was for. I had to go through something tough. I never had any injuries in college either. I feel like it was a great learning experience. I’m not going to be down about how it went. I’m just going to stay excited for the future.’"

One of the positives of recently-hired head coach Fred Hoiberg is that he ran an NBA-style kind of offense during his five years with Iowa State. In addition to that,  his teams ran a lot of pick-and-roll sets while playing with pace, which should create scoring opportunities for players such as McDermott, Tony Snell and Nikola Mirotic as well.

Whether or not McDermott will actually take the next step in his second season remains to be seen. However, it is important to keep in mind that Jimmy Butler played just 8.5 minutes per contest in his first season and his game progressed each subsequent year.

And as long as McDermott can showcase some the same versatility we saw when he was in college–a player who can finish around the rim and consistently knock down shots from the perimeter, he will be given the chance to succeed under a coach who believes in putting his players in the best position to be successful.

Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Lessons From NBA Finals Game 1

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