Luol Deng, the Next Great Scottie Pippen: Fan’s Take

Michael Jordan revolutionized basketball in the 1990s, but luckily, he never had to face arguably the greatest defensive challenge of his era, Scottie Pippen. As Jordan was the spotlight on the offensive end of the ball for the Chicago Bulls, Pippen held that position on the defensive end. Pippen could guard any position on the court and played great team defense, resulting in his ten consecutive selections to the NBA All-Defensive Team. Yes, Scottie Pippen received his accolades, particularly having been named as one of the NBA 50 Greatest Players of All Time; but he will always live in the shadow of Michael Jordan.

Such it seems is the fate of Chicago Bulls small forwards, as Luol Deng seems destined to repeat Pippen’s legacy. Derrick Rose is like Jordan, making truly unbelievable plays that change the way the NBA is played, and playing in that shadow, is Luol Deng. Deng, in his seventh year in the NBA, has yet to be named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, though that trend may end on Thursday. Both his contributions on and off the court are invaluable to the Bulls’ success.

Perhaps best showing his on-court contributions is that through Feb. 7, the Bulls have a 17-3 record with him, and 4-3 record without him this season. Much like Pippen, Deng can guard anyone on the court. A trait which will come in handy should the Bulls face LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the playoffs again. The Bulls lost 97-93 to the Miami Heat on Jan. 29, in a game that could have gone the other way had Deng been able to play. Statistically, Deng has been consistent year after year, and while not overwhelming in any one category, his body of work is outstanding. There are few players who play more minutes than Deng, which illustrates the faith that Coach Thibodeau places in him.

Off of the court, Luol Deng is the glue guy that keeps the team together. He’s been with the Bulls for a longer period of time than any other player on the team, and has been the backbone of the franchise. Above all else, he has set the precedent for how the Chicago Bulls will operate, one which coincides well with Coach Thibodeau’s system. The Bulls play a serious game, one in which the players and coaches are never satisfied and act with character. Luol Deng exemplifies Bulls’ basketball better than any other player, and in doing so, serves as a role model for the younger players. Deng is the type of player who is the first to practice and the last to leave. He is a veteran who takes the younger players under his wing to help them develop, a skill that Jimmy Butler seems to already benefit from.

Given everything that he does, let us hope that Deng does not suffer the same fate as Pippen, as the underappreciated, do everything, defense first, Chicago Bulls small forward playing in the shadow of a once in a lifetime player.

Denys Dean is a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bulls, who has loved every season as much as the record setting 72-win 1995-1996 season.


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