In the midst of workouts for NBA teams and saying goodbye to college Doug McDermott had to play a game of H O R S E.
It was for an MM s commercial McDermott s first post college endorsement where he took on people who came to play with blindfolds trick shots from the rafters and the standard backward/behind the hoop/weak hand shots to try to beat him.
McDermott one of the best shooters heading into the draft this year won. It wasn t that surprising he did After all it was his commercial being filmed and he was the only future pro basketball player in the group.
But for fans wondering if he will just be another great college player who stayed for four years because his skills don t translate into the pros it s a great reminder of one important thing to remember Doug McDermott can shoot.
We worked on that at Creighton some of the trick shots after practice but I never thought I d be using them in an MM s commercial he said. So I guess I was prepared.
McDermott s decision to stay at Creighton for his senior year is one that was oft repeated in many storylines in NCAA basketball last season He gave up his scholarship to another Creighton player (friend of For The Win Grant Gibbs) to round out the team (to be fair his father s the coach so it probably wasn t too much of a hardship.) He went from a very good player to one of the most decorated players in college. He broke records. He proved himself to be one of the best shooters in the game though his defense many scouts believe is still lacking.
Creighton also moved to the Big East which helped increase McDermott s profile. And the additional touching storyline of playing for his father didn t hurt either. When McDermott dropped out of the 2013 NBA Draft he was projected to be a late lottery pick. This year he wouldn t surprise many in a first round spot. It s a more talented draft than last year though and earlier this week McDermott said he was starting to feel the nerves going into the big day.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
It s definitely the best decision I ve ever made because I kind of won both ways he said. I had a great year in college and got to enjoy my senior year and also got to improve my stock a little bit by coming back just for playing in the Big East and our team got a lot more attention because of that it really helped me enjoy all the guys and this kind of position we re in now.
Wally Szczerbiak a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports Network said McDermott reminded him of himself.
Like me he is a high percent shooter who can score from all over the floor and in different ways he said. If Doug gets any air space to get his shot up with his feet set he can knock it down. I didn t mess around with the ball too much and neither does he. Not a ton of dribbling or flare just quick and precise moves. He reads the defender well and can get to the basket. Doug has a better post game and footwork in the post than I did at that age. I was more of a 2/3 while I think Doug is more of a 3/4.
McDermott who pointed to Szczerbiak as one of many pros he modeled his footwork after said he worked out for the Magic Lakers Hornets and Celtics and has gotten good feedback from all of them.
There s not really a particular spot (I prefer) he said. There s definitely spots where my family could see me play more you know stuff like that.
A lot of stuff plays into those factors but ultimately it s the NBA it s every kid s dream and I wouldn t be complaining wherever it is.
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