Bulls’ McDermott embraces fresh start
New coach gives forward hope for second season
Doug McDermott didn’t go as far as calling his rookie year with the Chicago Bulls in 2014-15 a lost season.
But he said, “I had a year off, basically where I was sitting on the bench thinking a lot. It was a good and bad thing, because I learned a lot watching guys, but I didn’t get a whole lot of experience.”
Under then-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, McDermott played in 36 games and averaged 8.9 minutes last season. While no minutes have been promised to him in 2015-16, McDermott will get an opportunity under new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg to earn playing time and be a regular part of the rotation.
“It’s all confidence,” McDermott said. “Just playing 5-on-5 feels good again, and I’m slowly getting back into rhythm.”
In five games in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, the second-year forward averaged 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds and shot 48.8% from the field.
An outstanding three-point shooter at Creighton, McDermott was 2-for-16 on threes in Vegas, but he scored in other ways: driving to the basket, posting up, making midrange jump shots and hitting free throws.
“The biggest thing with Doug is just to go out and be aggressive. He’s such a versatile scorer,” Hoiberg said. “He didn’t shoot the ball great this week, but I thought he did everything else well. He showed a lot of other things this week that will definitely get him on the floor this year.”
Hoiberg wasn’t concerned about the three-point shooting. “The one thing I know he can do is shoot,” he said.
Though the Bulls traded up to take McDermott No. 11 overall in the 2014 draft, Chicago’s coaching staff privately questioned last season whether his defense could keep him on the floor.
Knee surgery in December sidelined him for five weeks, and from that point it was even more of a struggle for McDermott to get regular minutes.
But with a new coaching staff and a fresh approach to the offense, McDermott knows what Hoiberg wants to see from him.
“He wants me to move without the basketball. I feel like I’m doing a good job of that, and he wants me to shoot that thing when I’m open, and I’ve been getting them up,” McDermott said.
McDermott isn’t expecting more minutes just because it’s a new staff and is approaching this season with the right attitude.
“I still have to earn it,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of veterans. We have a lot of young guys who are good, too. Once training camp hits, playing time will be up for grabs. Whoever’s ready is going to take it.”
When last season ended, McDermott went into the weight room, focusing on his upper- and lower-body strength, and it’s helping in how he positions himself on offense and defense.
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger this summer and feel good in the core. Just being able to finish through contact and getting to the free throw line is something I take a lot of pride in,” he said. “At times, I play a little too high (straightup) especially on the defensive end, getting hit by screens a lot. So if I can lower my base, I can get through screens easier and be more effective coming off screens.”
Hoiberg has envisioned how McDermott might work in the rotation and paid close attention to the way the Golden State Warriors played last season, using a smaller lineup at times to create mismatches.
Hoiberg will consider using McDermott at power forward when the Bulls want to play small.
“Again, you can put Doug all over the floor. That’s always been the strength of his game, his ability to score from the outside, from the inside, midrange,” Hoiberg said. “He’s so good out there on the floor and teams have to hug him. That’ll open up the lane for Derrick (Rose) and Jimmy (Butler) and other guys getting into the paint.”
After a short break, McDermott will work out with Butler in California and participate in NBA player development expert Tim Grgurich’s high-level skills camp in Las Vegas.
“The main thing for me (is) to get as much experience as I can,” McDermott said. “I feel like that will be great for my confidence.”