Former Creighton Blue Jays’ forward Doug McDermott had one of the greatest college careers of all time.
More from Chicago Bulls
- NBA Rumors: Warriors, Lakers among contenders for key free agent
- 3 players Bulls can sign with Disabled Player Exception
- NBA free agency: The 3 biggest losers in this offseason so far
- The new NBA flopping rules explained
- 5 players Sixers could acquire in Harden deal to stay competitive
He won the Naismith Award as the country’s best player last season, putting up a career-high 26.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He shot 52.6% from the field, 44.9% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the free throw line.
McDermott’s defense and his ability to grow as a player caused some concern around scouts, but there is no doubting his ability to score. The Chicago Bulls, who were in dire need of adding a spark on offense, saw McDermott fall out of the top 10 and jumped at the chance to get him. They traded the rights to the 16th-overall pick, Bosnian big man Jusuf Nurkić, and the 19th-overall pick, former Michigan State Spartans’ guard Gary Harris, of the first round, to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the rights to McDermott, who was selected with the 11th-overall pick in the first round.
The Bulls, who consistently trot out an elite defense, probably figure they can mask any defensive deficiencies McDermott may have and can let him do what he does best – shoot.
On Sunday night, McDermott showed the Bulls a glimpse of what he can do. In a 103-76 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Las Vegas Summer League, McDermott dropped 31 points. He shot seven-of-12 from the field. He was five-of-nine from beyond the arc and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw. Talk about a model of efficiency.
Tony Snell scored 23 points while Quincy Miller led the Nuggets with 26.