Doug McDermott needs to become a constant fixture within the Bulls offense. Pegged to be the perfect coach for McDermott, under Fred Hoiberg thus far, he's merely been relegated to being a simple spot-up shooter. For a team that's struggled immensely on the offensive end this season, Hoiberg has failed to adequately use McDermott's skill-set to the team's advantage. This isn't meant as a plea for McDermott to get more shots, rather it's a plea to have him more "involved" in the offense. When you look across the NBA landscape, elite shooters such as JJ Redick, Klay Thompson and Kyle Korver are used in such ways that bend defenses, that open lanes and opportunities for teammates. Up until this point, McDermott has done well in terms of "spacing" the floor for the Bulls as a spot up shooter, but his skill-set, much like the aforementioned players, can be utilized in a similar fashion. Where most of McDermott's scoring opportunities and involvement in the offense come from are as a spot up shooter. According to NBA.com's player tracking stats, 30.1% of McDermott's offense is coming from spot up situations, and he's been effective in that realm, scoring 1.05 points per possession, and ranking in the 79.9th percentile. This is exactly what McDermott what brought in for, to space the for the floor for the likes of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler: Read more: http://www.blogabull.com/2016/2/2/10877172/the-bulls-offense-needs-more-mcdermott
Two points come to mind: 1). His defensive shortcomings make it difficult to play him in a variety of situations. 2). I think his use as a spot-up shooter has more to do with the playing style of Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, both of whom play with tunnel vision and mostly do drive and kick when they have the ball in their hands.
Hoiberg's offense might indeed be ideal for McDermott. it's a shame they only run the first 10 seconds of it before defaulting to isos.
I like this thought Transplant. I actually think it reveals quite a bit about our roster. Doug might (and I say that with a lot of humility) be this multi-faceted scorer that can stretch defenses with his shooting, but on this team he's a specialist. It's hard to say whether or not it's due to his own shortcomings or the style of play of our higher usage players. Likewise, there's an important distinction to be made between good role players for Hoiball, and good role players for a Jimmy/Rose backcourt. Doug might be an example of what happens when you try and fit one into the other. Might need to make a choice about which direction you need to go in.
