Current Status Of 2014-15 NBA Rookies: Part 2
By Nathan Giese
Doug McDermott, 11th overall, Chicago Bulls
Status: Strokin’ Ain’t Easy
McDermott played in four of the five games the Bulls played in Las Vegas Summer League. Chicago won the four games Dougie McBuckets played in and lost the final game he sat out. In those four games, McDermott averaged 18 points per game and also shot 47 percent from three-point range.
Unlike Stauskas, though, McDermott’s in a great spot. He’s with the Bulls, who focus on team-oriented basketball and spread the wealth. Chicago also preaches tough defense, something that’s suspect with McDermott. He’s in the perfect position, but there’s question on if he’ll be there long enough to make an impact.
Reports came out this past week that, as part of the bidding war for Kevin Love, the Bulls offered McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s still unknown if the Bulls are serious about their offer or if they are just trying to drive up the asking price for Love to “screw over” the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would need to include a third team willing to take on contracts or include their prized rookie Andrew Wiggins to land Love with the Cavs.
It’s probably just a smoke screen and more likely that McDermott will be a big offensive threat off the bench for Chicago this season, but it’s something worth noting.