Spurs forward Doug McDermott is sometimes well aware of his ability to run without the ball.
"I was running around like a headless fly." McDermott said, "I would bump into my teammates while running, especially new teammates who had just played with me. But they've started to adapt to my style of play and I've started to understand their habits. ”
In the game on Saturday night when the Spurs lost 111-121 to defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, it was easy to observe the growing chemistry between McDermott and his new teammates. In the 33 minutes of playing time, McDermott shot 9-of-13 and 7-of-11 from three-point range, scoring a team-high 25 points.
Seven three-pointers is also a career-high for McDermott's single-game three-point shooting, after his previous record was six.
"For me 7 is a bit less." McDermott said, "I hope I can continue to raise that number." These guys are very selfless and they keep looking for my empty slot opportunities in the conversion offense. It's amazing to be able to play with selfless players. ”
Indeed, every three-pointer of McDermott's game came from a teammate's assist. Starting with him, center Jacob Pelter, forward Kelden Johnson and defender Derrick White each assisted him twice.
"He's one of the best shooters in the league. He's hard to defend; he's very active on the pitch, constantly moving and running without the ball. "We're just going to take every opportunity he [McDermott] gets an empty seat." ”
"Playing with him is simple, the opponent will always chase him because they are afraid of his shots," Peltel said. He's a good reader of the game, knows when to use the block to cut in, throw it with his right hand, or complete a pocket pass, and sometimes he sneaks in from the back door to score. Really, all I needed to do was read his eyes and he made my game easy. ”
As part of a trade-off between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers, McDermott, a player who has been in the NBA for eight years, signed a three-year, $41 million contract with the Spurs in August. The Spurs were among the worst teams in the league last season to average three-point shooting and three-point shooting per game, so they signed two three-pointers in the offseason, mcDermott.
Unfortunately for the Spurs, another pitcher has struggled so far since the start.
Compared to McDermott's 6.0 three-point shooting average in his previous three games, shooting 55.6 percent, bench guard Brin Forbes has lost eight of his nine three-pointers so far. Forbes averaged 10 points per game for the Bucks last season, shooting a career-high 45.2 percent three-point shooting, but he didn't hit his first goal of the season until 5:02 left in the third quarter of Saturday's game.
But the Spurs aren't the only Ones (1-of-4 from three) who couldn't shoot a three-pointer against the Bucks. In addition to McDermott's fiery touch that night, the others lost a total of 24 of the 27 three-pointers.
"We had some good chances, but we just couldn't hit them." White, who was 1 of 5 from three points that night, said, "Except for Doug (McDermott), everyone else must believe in their training results, shoot with confidence, and the shooting feel will come back." ”
McDermott said: "Some nights you just can't hit the shot. ”
Forbes may not have yet shown his career shooting ability to shoot 41.1 percent from three-point range. But the Spurs are currently happy that McDermott can play his own game.
"It's great to have him as a team. Because he follows the basic rules of basketball. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "His cut is purposeful, he will pass the ball one more time to a teammate in a better position." You can probably feel that he is the son of a basketball coach. He just can do things the right way, he's a good teammate and he's very efficient. He set a very good example for others on the little things that were fundamental. He is an excellent addition to our team. ”
McDermott's father is currently the head coach of the Clayton University men's basketball team. McDermott said he shoots with confidence in every game.
"I think I'm one of the best pitchers in the world." he said.
The data can confirm his views. McDermott has averaged 3.2 three-pointers per game so far in his career and has shot 40.9 percent from three-point range. In the past four seasons, he has only had one season with less than 40 percent three-point shooting, and has been shooting at least 81 percent from the free throw line for four consecutive years. This year he will work towards a goal of five consecutive years.
"I just want to be aggressive, I can do that, and at the same time I'm going to train harder and try to do better at other little things." McDermott said.
One thing is certain: his ball-free runs will always be excellent.
"That's how I play." McDermott said, "That's the way I've always played. People define me as a shooter, but the part of basketball that I enjoy the most is the constant running and empty cuts, and the improvisation on the court. I like to find empty slots for my teammates in different ways. I'm not the best passer in the world, but I feel that with my ability to cut and understand the game, I can create opportunities for my teammates. ”
At the same time, he also created opportunities for himself.