This video contains Doug McDermott’s first block of the season. That’s not surprising. All the NBA draft intelligentsia knew that his abysmal steal+block numbers in college weren’t likely to improve in the NBA. McDermott had a chance to pad his defensive stats against 6’0″ white dudes from the Buddlechuck Backwoods Baptist Bible College basketball team, and he couldn’t do it.
What is surprising is that he managed two blocks this game, not just one, and not only that, but they were both legit. These weren’t lame strip-blocks that shouldn’t have even counted. He saw Dwayne Bacon attacking him, Bacon thought for sure he could score against him in space, but he just straight up rejected him twice. I don’t know if I’ve EVER seen him block a shot as authoritatively as the first one tonight.
I’m just going to assume that he’s being misused by Nate McMillan on the offensive end. McMillan’s favorite play seems to be the two-man-game ending in a pick-and-pop midrange jumper. That’s, uh, not really what McDermott does. McDermott runs off screens and stuff. And he shoots threes. I still think he can be good, but why would the Pacers pay him 7 million a year just so they could not use him correctly?