Doug McDermott: Chicago Bulls Forward Finding His Groove
The improved play of Doug McDermott is a big reason why the Chicago Bulls have won their last three games. Can the second-year forward continue this trend?
Chicago Bulls reserve forward Doug McDermott came into the season hoping to bounce back from a disappointing rookie campaign. Not only did McDermott play in just 36 games for the Bulls a year ago, he was also sidelined with a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for five weeks, and he was used sparingly upon his return.
Although his scoring average (8.8 PPG) is a noticeable jump from the 3.0 points per game during Tom Thibodeau’s last season with the team, McDermott was still struggling to play well on a consistent basis. That trend continued into the New Year, as McDermott averaged 6.2 points per contest on 38 percent shooting in January.
As a result of his subpar play, McDermott’s confidence began to dwindle a bit. However, the month of February has been a different story to say the least.
McDermott reached double figures in four of the first seven games this month, which was already a step in the right direction. But after a short pep talk with Fred Hoiberg prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 19, McDermott went out and dropped a career-high 30 points on an efficient 13-for-17 from the field, including a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the arc, to help the Bulls to end a five-game losing skid.
"“Yeah, I felt it was needed,’’ McDermott said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “Obviously, coach showing he has confidence in you means a lot as a player, and that just shows what kind of coach he is.“He can relate to me in some ways because similar games when he was in the league. We’ll have to check if he had a 30-point game, though. I don’t think he did. But he just gave me confidence coming into [Friday night], which was good.’’"
McDermott continued his solid play in the next two outings against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards, scoring 16 and 14 points respectively. Additionally, during the month of February, McDermott is averaging 13.5 points per contest with shooting splits of .535/.425/.909, which includes an average of 15.7 points on 57.6 shooting over the past six games.
Needless to say, McDermott’s recent surge could not have come at a better time with several key players missing from the lineup. But what is even more impressive is the way that McDermott has been scoring as of late.
While he is certainly capable of knocking down the long ball, McDermott is also scoring on a combination of layups, floaters, fadeaways and even the occasional throw down, as demonstrated in the sequence below against the Wizards.
Taking his improved play into consideration, it appears that McDermott is becoming the scoring threat the Bulls had hoped for when they executed a draft-night trade to take him at the No. 11 spot back in 2014.
"“I feel like I’m taking a big step forward from my rookie year, McDermott told the Chicago Tribune. “Obviously, that’s not very tough to do.”"
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Although McDermott maintains a low-key demeanor in regards to the progress he has made in year two, his recent play speaks volumes about his potential ceiling. And if he can continue to play at a high level, which is a big “if” by the way, the Bulls will have another legitimate floor spacer alongside Mike Dunleavy heading into the postseason – something that could not be said in years past.