Summer trip helped Deng step up game
Luol Deng worked hard on his game last summer, which is certainly one reason he has played well in the preseason.
But even he's not sure whether peace of mind also helped his performance on the court.
Deng visited a place he considers home, even though he has no personal memories of living there. He was born in Sudan but left at age 4 when his family moved to Egypt to escape a civil war. They eventually settled in London.
This summer's visit was the first time Deng had been in Sudan since he left as a child.
“I thought I'm pretty mature already, but just seeing some of the things that I saw, you appreciate things even more,” he said. “Maybe that's part of it.”
Deng's trip began at the Kakuma camp in Northern Kenya, which is home to approximately 75,000 refugees from several African nations. Eventually, Deng crossed over to Southern Sudan and met up with his parents, who still live in London.
“It felt like home,” Deng said. “I didn't know what to expect, really, because I hadn't been back in 20 years. But it was great. Now I just want to do that trip every year. It was just unbelievable.
“A lot of people follow us, follow basketball. It will take time, but things are starting to get better.”
Deng realizes it was a fortunate path that led him to the NBA instead of maybe Kakuma. He's also the longest-tenured member of the Bulls, now that Kirk Hinrich was traded to Washington, and is ready to handle a veteran role.
After scoring 22 points in Wednesday's win at Toronto, Deng is averaging 14.1 points in the preseason and shooting an even 50 percent (12-for-24) from 3-point range. If he kept up that pace over 36 minutes per game in the regular season, he would average 18.4 points, close to a career high.
“I worked hard because I was so excited about coach Thibs,” Deng said, referring to new coach Tom Thibodeau. “With the 3s, I think I'm finding myself with coach Thibs system.
“I'm all over the floor. I felt like in the past, just the way the system was, I spent a lot of time on the baseline. With this, I'm up top, I'm cutting, I'm coming off of the other side and I just find different ways to play.”
Denver star Carmelo Anthony is clearly on the trading block and the Bulls are one team he'd like to play for.
But with Deng looking good in the new offense, it's worth asking if a small upgrade at small forward is worth the price the Bulls would have to pay, especially if it meant including center Joakim Noah in a trade?
“I think he's played a complete game,” Thibodeau said of Deng's preseason performance. “I've liked his defense; I've liked his offense. He's mixing things up well, moving without the ball, shooting the midrange (jumper), also added the 3-point shot. I think he's had a terrific preseason.”