NBA Rankings: Top 10 small forwards for 2014-15
10. Luol Deng:
2013-14 Stat Line: 63 games, 35.1 MPG, 16.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, .431/.302/.791 shooting, 15.2 PER
You’d think Luol Deng was like 40 years old with the way pretty much everyone forgot about him and has been writing him off since his lackluster half-season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though Deng’s numbers certainly took a dive in the 40 games he played in Cleveland, it was simply an unhappy union for both sides. In the 23 games he played with the Chicago Bulls before being dealt away, Deng was putting up 19 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and had a 17.0 Player Efficiency Rating.
Compare that to the 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game he averaged in Cleveland for an irrelevant team (at the time) and it’s easy to see why Deng kind of fell off the map. But the Miami Heat were smart to pounce on this 29-year-old veteran who has a lot more in the tank than most people think. Given the fact that the Heat are a much better fit for Deng that the Cavs, don’t be surprised if his addition makes/keeps Miami Dengerous.
In Miami, Deng joins a familiar situation to his time in Chicago: a team of talented pseudo-stars who will need to mesh and play team defense to remain elite in the Eastern Conference. Dwyane Wade‘s athleticism may be waning and Chris Bosh has a lot of pressure on him to return to the 20-10 guy he used to be, but Deng will help stabilize the Heat’s defense and hopefully be able to knock down a couple more threes than he did last season.