"He's got a lot of confidence," Thibodeau said.* Thibodeau knows players with that type of confidence can only attain it a certain way. It's the way Thibodeau wants all his players to think when they are on the floor.* "I know where confidence comes from," Thibodeau said. "Work and preparation. What do we call it now? Swag. We called it confidence back in the day. Where does it come from? People say, 'Well, he's a real confident guy.' The thing that you find is that the guys that put the work in, that gives you confidence. Each game is a test. It reveals exactly where you are. In this league, you can't skip steps.* "There's a lot of different ways I think you're seeing teams do it. The teams that win consistently, they put the work into it and they don't skip steps."* While Thibodeau's new word of the day may have been geared toward describing how he wants his entire team to feel, it was McDermott's belief -- and his shot -- that got him to that point.* After being admittedly nervous before training camp began, the Creighton alum has opened up even more eyes over the past week with his play.*
Good article. Thanks, TB#1. It seems clear that Thibodeau feels differently about McDermott than he has about rookies in the past. I'd like to hear Thibodeau talk more specifically about McDermott's defense. I've been impressed with what I've seen. As for him getting big minutes, that'll happen when Thibodeau is convinced that McDermott on the floor gives the team a better chance to win than Dunleeavy on the floor. That'll take time...think January.
One of the biggest surprises in preseason for me is how McDermott's defense looks more NBA ready than his offense. Didn't see that one coming. McDermott's shot looks fine and it's clear defenses already respect it. However, it doesn't look like McD trusts his floor game to counteract overreaching defenders which makes him a lot easier to guard, even if he is a great shooter.
Agree. His defense has been a delightful surprise. Personally, I think he's right to be hesitant about putting the ball on the floor. Like most young players, he wants playing time. On the Bulls, it may be true that he'll lose more potential minutes by committing turnovers than he will gain by showing he can take his man off the dribble.
We all know Tom likes riding his vets, so even if he's doing good in his limited minutes, and if the Bulls are in the top of the conference, there's no way Tom would bench a beloved vet so the rookie can get time. Not saying I'm anti-McBuckets or anything, he's fantastic, and Thibs is a great coach, him getting minutes is wishful thinking barring injury or crap record.