After earning the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference last season, the Chicago Bulls realized how much pressure there was heading into this year to perform well without star point guard Derrick Rose–who is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the opening round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. While there are numerous players that have stepped it up over the team’s first four games with the absence of Rose, no player may be coming up bigger than Luol Deng.

Despite a rough game on opening night against the Sacramento Kings, Deng has picked it up over the last three games to help the Bulls start off the season with a 3-1 record–with his latest performance coming on Tuesday against the Orlando Magic in which he recorded 23 points to go along with eight rebounds. Deng is going to play a big role when it comes to whether or not Chicago can make another run at the postseason as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference as long as Rose is sidelined and the last three games have proven how dangerous he can be for opponents.

The Bulls are filled with plenty of talent on their roster between players like Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah. Everybody knew it would be difficult to adjust to life without Rose, but as long as Deng can continue carrying this team–Chicago should be just fine until their beloved star is healthy enough to return.

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