Chicago Bulls: Is Luol Deng the Pippen to Derrick Rose's Jordan?

After a strong start to the season, Luol Deng's output has diminished slightly for the Chicago Bulls.

However, even though his numbers do not show it to the same extent as when the season started, Luol Deng is a much-improved ball player. And while it may be sacrilegious to some people, I feel comfortable saying that he has developed into a player in the role of Scottie Pippen.

The first thing that you notice when you watch Luol Deng play this year is that he is much more comfortable dribbling the ball.

Early in his career, Deng used to be a guy who had to have all of his offense set up for him by other players. However, this season, he has managed to attack the basket with much more ability. The efficiency at the basket still needs work, but it's great to see an eighth-year player still make improvements.

Deng's scoring also complements Rose very well.

He has some ability to create his own shot to take pressure off of Rose, but his game mostly centers around playing off the ball. Next to Derrick Rose, that is very valuable.

However, the way that Deng is most like Pippen is his emphasis on all the other parts of the game.

Like Pippen, Deng is a fantastic defender. Now I'm not saying that Luol Deng is anywhere near the player defensively Scottie Pippen was, but he can fulfill a similar role on this team.

Also like Pippen, Deng affects the game in many different ways, even when he is not scoring.

Wednesday night against the Wizards for example, Deng had an absolutely awful game offensively. However, he was still able to help suffocate the Wizards defensively and hold them to 31 percent shooting, and he finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.

Even though Deng had an absolutely atrocious game offensively, he still managed to contribute, and was key in the Rose-less win. 

Deng's ability to contribute in so many ways next to Derrick Rose is fantastic, and his role is comparable to the role of Scottie Pippen on the title Bulls teams.

If Deng can continue to work on his jumper and dribbling, he could be an All-Star before we know it.