Luol Deng emerging as Bulls’ leader in the absence of Derrick Rose – NBA Update
With their star playmaker Derrick Rose for nearly half of the season, Chicago Bulls knew that they would have it tough early on. Rose has been the heart and soul of the team for the last four years and has brought the culture of
winning back to the franchise after the golden days under Michael Jordan.
Without him on the floor though, the Bulls have found it difficult to get their offense going. There is no longer any player on the roster capable of taking over sides all by himself, finishing clutch plays and making life easier
for his teammates. The closest anybody has got is Luol Deng, and he was especially instrumental in the tight win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Coach Tom Thibodeau who has led his team to an 8-7 record so far talked like a man impressed after the 93-88 win;
"The thing about Luol is he will give you whatever the team needs," Thibodeau remarked about Deng who made a lot of shots in crunch situation and also made a huge impact in the D. "You need a little more scoring, he goes that route.
If you need great defense, he gives you that. If you need toughness on the boards, he will give you that. I thought his shots were big and timely and clutch for us."
Without Rose, the Bulls have lost quite a bit of their offensive punch. Although, they are still 7th in the league in terms of points allowed, the team has slipped to 22nd in terms of points scored at 94.4.
The Bulls have just had 3 100 plus in the season, and much of their offense has been moving because of Deng. The small forward is leading his side with 18.1 points per game, and is also third on the rebounding list with 7.4 boards.
He however knows that there is still left to be done till the time Rose makes a complete recovery from his ACL tear and also admitted that with Rose on the court, things used to be a lot easier;
"My shot is feeling great, just got to stick with it," Deng said. "We're running different plays than we did last year. Obviously, it has a lot to do with the fact that when Derrick (Rose) is in the game we open the floor so much
and for me it's definitely a lot easier with just spotting up and Derrick coming off because so much attention is paid to him.”
For him and the Bulls, the key now is to keep on sustaining, till they get their talisman back.
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