Stella went to Jamaica to get her groove back, Doug McDermott went to Vegas.
After a forgettable rookie season hampered by more woes than a Greek tragedy, McBuckets used the Vegas Summer League as a platform to show the world that he’s back and feistier than ever. Over the course of five games, he averaged 18.8 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and was named to the All-NBA Summer League First Team alongside standouts Seth Curry and Kyle Anderson.
Of course, a successful summer league performance is no guarantee of success in the regular season. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons to believe this will be a bounce back season for McDermott.
Added Confidence
Things simply did not click between defense-oriented Tom Thibodeau and McDermott, who struggled with the speed and length of the NBA game in his rookie season. Luckily for McDermott, there’s a new sheriff in town. The hire of Fred Hoiberg, who coincidentally graduated from the same high school as McDermott in Ames, Iowa, not only clears the mental cache of a rocky season under Thibodeau, it also offers a new offensive scheme that values shooting and offensive versatility.
Thibodeau was heavily criticized for overworking the top end of his rotation. This should bode well for McDermott, who is likely to be a benefactor of an expanded rotation under Hoiberg. Moreover, McDermott played extensive stretches at the 4-spot in Vegas. This positional versatility should also help him find a place on the roster. In an interview with CBS’s Sam Vecenie, McDermott noted, “Yeah, I think it’ll kind of depend on matchups and stuff. And having a guy like Niko Mirotic, we can kind of play both the 3 or 4 and kind of run the same spots so being able to play with a guy like him, plus we have a lot of versatility out there so I think it’ll be good.”
Finally, Hoiberg himself had very good things to say about McDermott to NBA.com’s Sam Smith.
"“Doug was great,” said Hoiberg. “We had two scrimmages (before leaving for Las Vegas) and Doug hit 10 of 15 from three. He’s so unique because he can score from the outside, mid range and he was pretty darned good today shooting those floaters in the lane. I love working with him, great kid, willing to work. He took what the defense gave him. He’s so smart. I thought we even missed him a few times when he created separation.”"
Do you hear those wedding bells?
Finishing Ability
When asked by Vecenie what he was was working on the most this summer, McDermott had a lot to say. “Just being able to finish better at the rim. You can’t really finish through guys at the rim in the NBA, especially a guy like me you have to have floaters and stepbacks and stuff like that. So I’m really trying to develop all of those things.”
In addition to working on his toolkit, McDermott also worked on his body this offseason. He claims his squat has increased from about 50 pounds to 245, and that (#musclewatch!) he’s 10 pounds heavier.
The added strength, confidence and ability to finish at the rim were on full display in Vegas.
We saw floaters…
Putbacks…
Finishes through contact…
Over the collective 14-11 wingspan of Brazilian condors Bebe Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo…
And finally, in transition…
Perhaps the most encouraging part of his performance in Vegas was the intensity.
"“Last summer and last year I was too nice, almost. Now after last year and how frustrating it was I feel I have more edge to me and I’m excited about that. I was accepting of it. Now I know what I am capable of. I play my best when I have that edge. That’s what I played with my four years in college and feel I can build on that again.”"
McDermott, who is in possession of neither great length nor lateral quickness, is probably always going to struggle on the defensive end. Nevertheless, it seems likely that McDermott is in line to play a much greater role for the Hoiberg and the Bulls this season. One only needs to look at his fire-ball like efficiency from his Creighton days to get a sense of his considerable offensive prowess.
It’s odd that his dead-eye 3-point shooting skills seem to have fallen off the map since turning pro (31.7 percent on 41 attempts as a rookie and 2-for-16 in Vegas), but I simply refuse to believe that shooting will be a long-term concern once the confidence returns to form. McDermott’s continued shooting woes in Vegas were essentially mitigated by his ability to get to the rim. While he’ll ultimately need his shooting to come back in order to be effective as a pro, it was great to see the confidence and finishing ability on display during the summer league.
Let’s just hope that the old adage “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” doesn’t apply to McDermott.