Doug McDermott was traded by the Chicago Bulls to the OKC Thunder on deadline day.
Doug McDermott was traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a five player deal. I cannot be more excited about this trade.
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McDermott is a third year player, having played the past two and a half in Chicago. At 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, McDermott is a good size for small forward. When McDermott was drafted, there were questions about his athleticism and fit within the NBA.
I believe that his first two and a half seasons in the NBA have answered those questions. McDermott is a quality shooter, having shown the ability to space the floor while in Chicago. He has also shown the ability to play three different positions at a pinch, although small forward is his home.
Three Point Shooting
McDermott’s points per game production has increased in all of his three season and he is shooting a tick under 40 percent from three for his short career. The Thunder organization is shooting 32 percent from deep so McDermott is a true upgrade.
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McDermott has always been a shooter. In his college days, where he played four years, And, McDermott was happy to be the man. In his 145 college ball games he averaged 21.7 points per game. His percentage from deep was a crazy 46 percent. How good would it be if he got near those numbers this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
This leads to me to what McDermott brings to the Thunder. Yes, it is obvious that he brings three point shooting. What this means for the Thunder is true floor spacing for the first time this season. Teams have been leaving Andre Roberson open to shoot, collapsing down on Russell Westbrook.
Now, collapse at your peril when McDermott is on the floor. The recently traded Anthony Morrow and Cameron Payne were not shooting well from deep. Payne was shooting at 31 percent, Morrow was shooting at 29 percent. A lot of those looks were open.
Give McDermott space and an open look and he will hurt you. Now he is playing with one of the best distributors in NBA history in Russell Westbrook. Westbrook also commands so much defensive attention, look out for McDermott to knock down easy, open three’s
The last time McDermott played with a quality, penetrating point guard was in Chicago, last season. When Derrick Rose was taking the heat of the defense, McDermott was shooting 42.5 percent from deep. Westbrook is better than Rose, watch this space.
Second Unit Help
The second area that McDermott will help the Thunder is with the second unit. Enes Kanter is currently the focal point of the offense. With McDermott on the floor, offenses will hesitate to double team the second half of the stache brothers. As anyone who has watched Kanter play will tell you, this will spell disaster for most second units.
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McDermott is also a fantastic free throw shooter. For his short career, McDermott is shooting at 85 percent from the line. He only averages about two trips to the line a game. But, with the way McDermott runs the floor without the ball, there is a chance for that number to increase. Westbrook rewards his running and cutting players. So too does Kanter in the second unit.
One knock on McDermott has been his defense. He is adequate at best. The Thunder do not need more defense, they need shooting. Players like Steven Adams and Taj Gibson are both bruisers in the paint. The perimeter is defended by Andre Roberson, Victor Oladipo and Westbrook. Throw in Jerami Grant to that mix and the Thunder look hard to score against.
The Singler Factor
The addition of McDermott means that there are now five players who are small forwards. During the pre-season, Billy Donovan was playing Kyle Singler as the starting small forward. Now, with the addition of McDermott, Singler is down at fourth on the depth chart. He could be passed by Josh Huestis by the end of the year too, hopefully.
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With McDermott on the team, Singler should see his limited minutes disappear entirely. This will make almost the entirity of the Thunder organization and fan base happy. The only exception would probably be Singler.
At the time of the trade, the Thunder were 2.5 games out of fourth place. The addition of McDermott should see the team climb in the standings.
Sam Presti has managed to make diamonds out of the coal he found himself in at the start of the season. #InPrestiWeTrust
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