Here is a blast from the past. Future NBA Draft lottery pick Doug McDermott’s PR people struck at exactly the right time.
The then-reigning NCAA Player of the Year and noted sharpshooter McDermott partnered with M&M’S Peanut to play an epic game of H-O-R-S-E …against 99 other people.
Even though the video is old, “Dougie McBuckets” makes some amazing shots. Imagine having to perform in a small gym in front of a few hundred people you are absolutely expected to dominate.
Only 1 in 100 peanuts will become an M&M’S Peanut. So to help illustrate how quality matters when picking ingredients, M&M’s pitted McDermott against 99 regular folks in games of H-O-R-S-E.
You can’t help but love “Dougie Fresh” even more after you watch this video.
Unfortunately for Doug McDermott, his NBA career has not really panned out.
After leading the NCAA in scoring during his senior season, and being a three-time All-American at Creighton University, he was drafted in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets as the 11th overall pick. He was then traded to the Chicago Bulls.
It was during this time that I believe I captured the greatest moment of his NBA career. It happened when the Bulls were playing an exhibition game in Lincoln, Nebraska against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks on 10/23/15. I remember thinking how weird it must’ve been for Dirk to spend a night in Lincoln.
With 1.4 seconds remaining McDermott hit a fadeaway jumper with a hand in his face to seal a 103-102 victory. Pinnacle Bank Arena was sold out and the place went APE.
No one cared that it was an exhibition game because all the stars played, as is customary for the NBA preseason.
By that point in the game, I had slithered my way down from the GA seats to about the 10th row. And I captured this shot of Doug McDermott’s shot:
It was a clutch moment of high theatre. Everyone in the arena was there to see the local guy made good. And he rose to the moment.
Now in his 6th season with his 5th team, McDermott has bounced around. Mainly because he has been strapped to the bench wherever he goes. In 385 regular season NBA games, he has only started 14 of them.
If he could ever get more than 20 minutes per game (his career average which is little more than a quarter and a half) I think he could be productive. 46% from the floor, 41% from three, 82% from the line – can’t he at least be Kyle Korver, another Creighton product?
But, maybe I think that because I’m from Omaha and I have my Doug McDermott blinders on.
Either way, the video of him playing HORSE is great. Just like his game-winning shot in an exhibition game that no one will ever know about unless you were there.
