PG Derrick Rose
SG Jimmy Butler
SF ?????
PF Pau Gasol
C Joakim NoahThe starting small forward spot.
It was where Carmelo Anthony was supposed to fit in perfectly.
But as of right now, the role may go back to Mike Dunleavy, Jr., but with the already defensive heavy starting lineup, there would be a great deal of logic to starting rookie Doug McDermott at the small forward spot.
McDermott was the leading scorer in college basketball last season at Creighton, averaging 26.7 PPG. He passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird on the NCAA All-Time Scoring list, and was named the consensus national basketball player of the year.
As a four year college player, he was named to the All-America first team three times.
As a basketball player he is not like most rookies in the NBA.
And he showed it with his solid NBA Summer League performance, where he put up a gaudy 18 PPG, 4 RPG, 2.8 APG on 44% shooting from 3.
And after never shooting below 40% from 3 during all four years in college, it is the very special skill that Doug McDermott brings that the Chicago Bulls need in the starting lineup.
With his consistent three point accuracy, the Bull will have the sharpshooter they need in order to space the floor for both Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol, creating both driving lanes and post-up scoring opportunities.
Meanwhile, Dunleavy on the second unit along with Kirk Hinrich, Tony Snell, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic, would form a solid, balanced, deep, and experienced Bench Mob unit to rest the starters.
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has been asked about his plans for the starting lineup given his new, very deep, reloaded team. He has only coyly answered that he finally has a good problem to try to figure out.
And when he was questioned by Waddle and Silvy about his reluctance to play rookies, Coach Thibs was very clear that it was not that players were rookies, it was that he liked good basketball players.
A good basketball player was what the Chicago Bulls front office was targeting when they traded two first round picks in order to move up to take Doug McDermott.
And what is unquestionable is Coach Thibs and the entire organization's affinity for the smart and hard-working rookie out of Creighton because of his high basketball IQ. So don't be surprised if McDermott earns an opportunity to start as a rookie for this stacked Chicago Bulls team.
Do you think that Doug McDermott should start at the small forward? What do you think the starting lineup should be? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
