Indiana Pacers Love/Hate Series: Doug McDermott
By Ryan Eggers
What we love about Doug McDermott
Everyone knows why McDermott is here. Despite the Indiana Pacers locking in a spot as a top 10 3-point shooting team last year, they were bottom five in 3-point shots attempted, largely because of the lack of options off the bench.
Some of their best raw shooters (T.J. Leaf, Joe Young) couldn’t get on the court because of defensive issues, Cory Joseph shot 35% and could still be expected to regress (he’s a 32.9% career shooter from deep) and Glenn Robinson III is no longer on the team.
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That bench needs more scoring, and Pritchard made it obvious that 3-point shooting was high on his list of priorities this offseason. His four most impactful moves make that clear: drafting Aaron Holiday (shot 42.9% from behind the arc in his final season at UCLA), signing Tyreke Evans (40% from deep with the Grizzlies), declining to pick up Lance Stephenson (shot 28.9% from deep on 2.8(!) shots a game) and of course, inking McDermott for a 3-year deal, who should have the greatest immediate impact on floor spacing.
It’s not just about McDermott’s pure numbers either, which are already fantastic. It’s about his presence and the way in which he can get those buckets.
McDermott will likely start most plays in the corner, automatically ensuring one guy doesn’t stray too far from him, leaving the Pacers a bit of room to work with on the baseline between the basket and Dougie’s defender.
His rotations around the perimeter will keep the defense honest, and for the first time in a very long time for this Indiana Pacers team, they might actually see some decent floor spacing from their bench unit.
He doesn’t just shoot threes, either. He takes advantage of the space he creates and can occasionally drive to the tin as well:
But McDermott’s abilities won’t just benefit himself — Domantas Sabonis is one player in particular who may be able to be even more assertive without the congestion in the paint that came from a lack of shooters last season.
And when Sabonis (or in this case, Kyle O’Quinn) does draw attention inside, all he has to do is this:
If McDermott plays as advertised, he’ll be the piece that this bench needs. Between the shooting, floor spacing and constant perimeter threat he brings to the court, he can liven up an offense that already had many beautiful moments last year.