The Resurgence of DeMar DeRozan is nothing short of amazing. There was a little chatter about him being a top 10 player in the league when he was with the Spurs, but needless to say, he’s gone well over expectations this season. DeRozan is putting up 26.3 points, which is something he hasn’t done since the 2016/17 season in Toronto.
| Year | Team | PPG | Shots Att |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016/17 | TOR | 27.3 | 19.2 |
| 2017/18 | TOR | 23.0 | 17.7 |
| 2018/19 | SAS | 21.2 | 17.1 |
| 2019/20 | SAS | 22.1 | 15.4 |
| 2020/21 | SAS | 21.6 | 15.1 |
| 2021/22 | CHI | 26.3 | 18.8 |
What’s different? Similar to Jimmy Butler’s situation in Miami, it’s all about the atmosphere and guys around you. Chicago put a plan in place to start being competitive again and With a backcourt in Lonzo Ball, and Zach LaVine followed up with a frontcourt in Vucevic it soon became a system that DeRozan felt comfortable in.
There’s no secret that DeRozan is in love with the midrange game and has been able to be an elite scorer utilizing the midrange. More importantly, Chicago’s been adapting to his style of play and letting him thrive as he’s arguably the main offensive option outside of LaVine (25.9 ppg).
| Distance | FG | FGA | FG% | eFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Rim | 47 | 67 | .701 | .701 |
| 3 to <10 ft | 38 | 85 | .447 | .447 |
| 10 to <16 ft | 68 | 124 | .548 | .548 |
| 16 ft to <3-pt | 42 | 98 | .429 | .429 |
| 3-pt | 19 | 58 | .328 | .491 |
To dive deeper DeRozan is getting to the free-throw line the most in his career since the 2016-17 NBA Season and is shooting a career-high 89% from the charity stripe. On the contrary, He’s shooting the ball at a higher rate than he’s accustomed to in previous years. He’s getting to his spots and his teammates are trusting him to go out and get a bucket.
To think that DeRozan was sold on signing with the Lakers in the off-season and made the sudden jump to Chicago should really send a huge message to the Lakers as they’ve been struggling thus far (sorry Lakers fans).
The real question is can Chicago keep this level of play up?
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