Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng: Most Underrated Player in the NBA
Luol Deng has been one of the most consistent players in the NBA since entering the league in 2004. However, Deng has also been one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Deng has not made any All NBA defensive teams and has just been selected to his first All-Star team. Deng has solid career averages of 16 points and about 6 rebounds, but Deng is so much more than his stats. Chicago Bulls’ head coach, and recently announced Eastern Conference head coach, Tom Thibodeau has called Deng the “glue” of the Bulls and it is clear that the Bulls would not have the best record in the NBA if it were not for Deng. Furthermore, being a Bulls fan I know that the Bulls cannot win a championship without Luol Deng; he is the Scottie Pippen to Derrick Rose’s Michael Jordan. Just like Jordan needed Pippen, Rose needs Deng, the parallels are undeniable.
So why is Luol Deng so underrated? Deng is underrated because of his style of play; to simply put it he is not flashy. But Deng does not need to throw down dunks and make no-look passes to be effective; he can step in and hit the mid-range jumper or step behind the arc and knock down his ever-improving 3 point shot. Furthermore, Deng is such a smart player; he does not look to take over games but instead lets the game come to him. In yesterday’s 121-115 victory against the Sacramento Kings, Deng had a career high 11 assists. He really is the “glue” of the Bulls; arguably the most important player on the team next to Rose. Deng is the type of player who will do whatever it takes for the team to win, whether it is scoring, passing, or his greatest skill: playing defense.
Deng does just about everything very well but I think he is best at defense. Deng is the staple of a Bulls team that plays suffocating defense that has been limiting teams to 88 points a game this season. With his athleticism and stamina Deng comes at opposing players all night and if Deng is guarding you it is going to be a long night. Deng is only averaging 1.2 steals a game but like I said before he is more than his stats. Deng gets many pass deflections that lead to fast breaks and assists (Bulls averaging 23 assists a game this season).
I have to admit that I was pretty upset that none of the TNT analysts (except for Ernie Johnson) had Deng on their list of projected Eastern Conference reserves a week before they were announced. But I became extremely happy to hear that Deng had finally been selected to an All-Star game because no player deserves an All-Star selection more than Deng. I feel that Deng has been snubbed of an All-Star selection many times throughout his career. However, I will note that Deng has been injury prone throughout his career and that has been a reason for him not making the All-Star team.
However, Deng has been relatively healthy these past two seasons and has been a complete ironman, averaging 38.6 minutes a game since last season, one of the highest in the NBA. Furthermore, Deng is such a reliable number 2 option and is averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds a game this season (Mr. Consistent!). The Bulls are going to need Deng to continue his consistent play especially since Rose has been battling injuries all season. Rose is likely not going to play in Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics and I am sure Deng will step up again and help the Bulls secure a victory at the United Center.
While I feel that Deng is the most underrated player in the NBA, I also feel he is one of the best players on the best team in the NBA. I know it is only a matter of time before everyone starts realizing how good of a player he really is and should start being in the conversation as a top 20 player in this league, until then I’ll just keep enjoying his play and watching the Bulls rack up wins!
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