McDermott still finding his way
Bulls forward Doug McDermott started for the second time in the preseason Thursday against Atlanta.
The first time he started, last week against Milwaukee, the Bulls' starters played well. So Thursday's second chance seemed to be an opportunity for McDermott to prove he can start as a rookie.
Instead, the Bulls stunk for the opening three quarters before rallying to win, so the jury is out on where McDermott fits in the rotation.
Mike Dunleavy missed Thursday's contest after slipping on a wet spot at practice the previous day. Coach Tom Thibodeau felt the injury was minor and wasn't ready to remove Dunleavy from the starting lineup permanently.
"I don't want to overlook what Mike's done," Thibodeau told reporters at Thursday's shootaround. "Mike has shot the ball extremely well. I think he helps that first unit function well. Mike's team defense is outstanding. I don't want to overlook that.
"You have to think about (McDermott would be) guarding a starter now, so that does make it different. That's the great value of Mike - he's started before, he's come off the bench. He's comfortable in both roles. I liked the way he played last year as a starter for us a lot, so I don't want to make that decision yet. We'll see how it unfolds."
One bright spot Thursday was McDermott grabbed 9 rebounds in 28 minutes. He wasn't much of a factor offensively, though, scoring 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field.
First-time shooters' duel:
Kyle Korver's Creighton career preceded Doug McDermott by 11 years, so comparisons are a stretch.
They got to know each other when Korver would visit Omaha in the summer and they played in some pickup games together. But Korver never played against McDermott until this summer at USA Basketball training camp.
"For about one minute," Korver said Thursday. "When I saw he was starting tonight, I was like, 'Woo.' "
Korver played only in the first half, but his shooting stroke looked good. He drained 3 of 6 shots from 3-point range for 9 points.
At the start of the game, Korver guarded McDermott, but the Bulls used Jimmy Butler on defense against Korver. McDermott matched up with DeMarre Carroll.
"The good thing about his game is he doesn't to take a ton of shots to get in rhythm," Korver said of McDermott. "He also knows how to play team defense. He just needs to learn the level of play required for championship basketball."
Bull horns:
After going 5-for-25 Thursday, the Bulls are shooting just 32.4 percent from 3-point range in the preseason. … The Hawks feature three ex-Bulls: Kyle Korver, Elton Brand and Thabo Sefolosha, a summer free-agent signing from Oklahoma City. … Guard Jeff Teague and forward Paul Millsap did not play for Atlanta.