Luol Deng and his 3pt shot (or lack thereof)

[clonetrooper264]

As quoted from realgm

When we talk about Deng's game, it's stated as a given that his shooting range stops at the arc. There's a good reason for this since in his best season ('06-'07), he took all of 7 three-pointers in 82 games (yes, Deng actually played in 82 games that season...92 if you count the playoffs). In the last 2 seasons, he took a few more than that, but the numbers were pretty insignificant...it's just not a part of his game.

When he came out of college, he wasn't nearly so shy. In fact, in his rookie season he took more 3-pointers in his first 2 NBA games (9) than he did in the whole damn '06-'07 season. In his first 16 games with the Bulls, he took as many shots from the arc (49) as he has in the past 3 seasons combined. The problem, of course, was that he wasn't making a whole lot of these. By the end of the season, he seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for the long-range game...he took only 9 from distance in the last 16 games of his rookie campaign. In total, he made 31 of his 117 (26.5%) 3-point shots that season. He continued the cut-back in his sophomore season, taking 78 three-point shots and making about the same percentage (26.9%).

Then he pretty much abandoned the experiment and moved on.

Lots of NBA players have a tough time making the transition to the longer NBA 3-point shot, but many aren't as easily discouraged as Deng was.

MJ was absolutely putrid from the arc his first 4 seasons, never converting more than 19.2% of 'em (he didn't take many). Pippen didn't get his career 3-point percentage above 25% until the middle of his career. Shawn Marion and Richard Jefferson couldn't even equal Deng's 26-27% over their first 2 seasons.

So why did Luol throw in the towel so soon? Is he impatient by nature? Too unselfish? Was it Skiles?

Personally, I'd like to see Deng jump back on that horse...hope he made this a point of emphasis this offseason.

Good points. I would also like to see Deng start working on that 3 pt shot. Not only will it help Rose by creating more space for his drive, it will help his game by making him a more dangerous scorer.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[RC_Skinny22]

Absolutely. A Wingman has to have a solid 3pt shot. Otherwise he should move to the 4. But he is not strong enough to do this. So what is Deng´s game???

I would like to see Johnson at the 3 and Deng at the 4 but Deng is not strong enough.

 

[Hawkfanwillie07]

I would love to see Luol develop a 3pt shot. Imagine what it could do for the offense, especially now that BG is gone. It would open up the lane for Rose and Salmons both, plus it would make it easier for Deng to slash, which is his best attribute. Defenders would not be able to sag off of him like they do now at 20 ft. Right now without the 3 he is a pretty average starting SF in the league. It could really make him an elite player.

 

[mlewinth]

Absolutly I would love to see it. The best 3's in the game can hit the 3...bottom line. We need to establish some presence at the perimeter now that Gordon is gone. I have a feeling Rose will develop a 3 pt shot, he really wasnt that bad from three last year. We need Salmons and Deng to get a bit better from long range, it would definantly help us spread the floor.

 

[cool007]

To me, why limit yourself???

I remember 3 years back, we kept hearing how Skiles told Lu to not worry about the 3pt shot and just take the mid-range shots that did help him bring his shooting pct up but that limited his game and now when it doesn't fall, he is really stuck and then tries to force things 1-on-1 where he is just not that good.

Having 3pt range is so good for 1's game. That opens up for your teammates, helps you make a come back in the game, helps your scoring (2pts vs 3pts) and also helps you penetrate inside with more room to work with. It also gets you easier shots when Rose drives inside, and defense collapses, you are pretty much open at the 3pt line.

IMO, people don't realize but there are so many benefits to having that 3pt range in your game. You don't have to be superb at it, just good enough as a weapon. There are ton of players who don't shoot well but you still have to respect that shot.

 

[jsain360]

I don't want Deng abusing the 3pt line either, I would love to see him develope a good corner 3pt shot.

 

[JimmyBulls]

Personally, I'm more interested in seeing Derrick Rose develop that three point shot.

As far as Deng is concerned, I think a comfortable Deng is a productive Deng. Sure, it would be nice if he could improve his range from the stripe. But if it's not perfected by the end of preseason, I think he should leave it alone. There is nothing that's going to hinder his true shooting range (mid-range) more than shooting outside of it. When a guy is shooting outside of his comfort zone, he tends to lose or have a hard time finding his normal shooting range. Deng is too important to risk him going into the tank by trying to add range to his shot. It's really not worth the potential complications.

I would love to see Deng with a three point shot, but I would like to see a productive and comfortable Deng a lot more. This team needs Deng to produce like he did in his best year. Playing trial and error with his range would be awful for him and this team's prospects of making the playoffs. The Bulls need to have a productive Deng (18ppg, 7rpg, 50fg), more than they need Deng the three point shooter.