07 April 2011

The Most Unheralded Bull

...is Luol Deng. If for nothing else than the fact that if you were to pick a "Big Three" (one of the most unoriginal, overrated, yet somehow always in vogue nickname there is) for the Chicago Bulls, you would pick, in order, Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah.

But a quick look at the Bulls stats says otherwise. Deng is arguably the Bulls' third scoring option behind Rose and Boozer, and is less than a half point per game from averaging more points than Boozer, netting him 3rd on the team and 32nd in the NBA. He's also 4th on the team in rebounds, 2nd in assists, 1st in minutes (4th in NBA), and 4th in steals.

A lot of people, including myself, were quite skeptical of Deng after he signed a 6-year, $71 million contract in 2008, and those criticisms were right for the first couple years. He was being paid like a franchise player without actually being a franchise player. Granted, he's still making more than $11 million this year, but at long last he seems like he's earning it. He playing a career high in minutes per game (39.4), and already has taken (314) and made (107) more threes than in the rest of his career combined.

Now I'm not saying Deng is having a career year, but this might be the first year his contributions to the team match his skill level. You're not winning playoff series if Luol is your best player (as was the case in 06-07 and 07-08, when the Bulls went a combined 82-82). I love Deng as a 2nd or 3rd banana. He'll never, for the most part, be asked to carry the scoring load on a given night, but can be counted on for a clutch 3 as a part of a 20-7-4, or a hard drive to the bucket to draw a foul (something I've never seen him do on a consistent basis).

The most underrated part of Deng's game is his defense. In games against top opponents, Deng always seems to be on the opponent's top scoring threat. Tonight's game against Boston serves as a perfect example. Matched up against the all-time leading 3-point shooter, Ray Allen, Deng rose to the occasion on national TV, holding Allen to 3-of-11 shooting (0-of-3 from three), 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 38 minutes. This was also while putting up a 23-6 himself, shooting 50% from both the field (9/18) and 3-point land (3/6). This season I've seen him stifle the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, among others, and his the Bulls' best defensive option (leading the team in defensive win shares).

Luol Deng should ultimately at least be in the conversation for an NBA All-Defensive team. I'm not asking for first, I don't think I'm asking for second either. Just as long as he's in the conversation, I'll be happy.

Not bad for a 3rd banana, eh?

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