Deng 180°

Up until 2009 Luol Deng was one of the most polarizing figures in Chicago sports. Coming out of Blair Academy in 2002, Deng was ranked as the #2 most promising high school prospect in the country behind Lebron James. After a year at Duke (and a Final Four appearance) Deng entered the NBA draft and was the 7th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns, who then traded the rights to Deng to the Bulls and the roller coaster began. Prior to 2009 Deng was regularly criticized for being soft and injury prone.

Since Tom Thibodeau became coach of the Bulls, Luol Deng has shed the “soft” label that followed him for many years. Deng was called soft to to his blatant hesitation to drive the lane and take/draw contact under the basket. Because of his hesitation to drive the lane, he settled for jump shots which was not the best part of his game. Despite his 6‘9” frame and 7 foot wing span he seemed almost afraid to go up against bigger stronger players in the paint which made his offense one dimensional and easier to guard. Under Thibodeau, Deng has found a confidence and toughness that has, since 2009, endeared him to Bulls fans. He’s become a hard nosed defender willing to mix it up with anyone and has been able to take bigger strong defenders off the dribble and not worry about contact. Deng has gone from not wanting to drive the lane, due to contact, to initiating contact and trying to draw fouls. He’s played through injuries that would have kept him side-lined in previous years and given this Bulls team a hard nosed defensive identity.

Luol Deng’s toughness was, I think, directly related to the injuries he suffered. Deng has only played in more than 70 games three times in his 8 year career and only played all 82 games twice. Deng’s confidence was also in question, because it seemed that every time he drove to the basket he wound up getting injured. A wrist injury in his rookie season, Achilles tendinitis in the ‘07-’08 season, a stress fracture in his right leg in ‘08-’09 and a sprained right calf in the ‘09-’10 season caused Deng to be labeled as injury prone and was not seen as worthy of the six year $71 million dollar contract signed before the ‘08-’09 season. Since 2008 Luol Deng has been mentioned in trade rumors for the likes of Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh among others and the the Bulls’ unwillingness to trade Deng infuriated fans who saw Deng as soft, injury prone and way over paid. The Bulls stuck by Deng regardless of the fan reaction and has since shed that injury prone label as well. This year alone Deng has played through a torn tendon in his left wrist that will definitely need surgery and keep him out of basketball for almost six months but he has decided to play through the pain. Deng injured his wrist in January and has decided to play through the NBA season and also represent Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, pushing a surgery back to, at least August 12th. Luol Deng has gone from being labeled soft and injury prone to being a rock in the Bulls lineup and fighting through injuries for the sake of an NBA title.

Luol Deng is the perfect example of a talent needing the right system/coaching and I believe he has found that balance. Deng showed flashes of his true talent under Scott Skiles, but his confidence was still an issue, and he regressed a bit under Vinny Del Negro (then again everyone did) but now he seems to have found his niche. Past Bulls teams were looking to Deng to be a number one or two scorer which isn’t the kind of player he is. Thibodeau has asked Deng to, instead, be their primary defender and third scoring option/swingman when needed. The last two years Luol Deng has remade his game and for the life of me I can’t think of any Chicago athlete who has completely changed their image for the better so fast.