Getty Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan reacts to a call during a playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
After showing out in relative obscurity as a San Antonio Spur for three years, DeMar DeRozan reappeared on the radar in a big, bad way with the Chicago Bulls last season. His clutch play made headlines on multiple occasions, while his mid-range mastery and veteran presence helped end a five-year playoff drought.
Not bad for a guy who a handful of pundits considered to be one of the worst free-agent signings of the 2021 offseason; someone who even the New York Knicks passed on — to sign Evan Fournier of all people.
Regardless, there are those that continue to knock the five-time All-Star (and possible future HOFer) and/or minimize his achievements. For his part, Bleacher Report‘s Andy Bailey just put DeRozan on a list of the “NBA’s most overrated players of the last 10 years,” a list that also included Avery Bradley, DeAndre Jordan, Julius Randle and former Bull Jamal Crawford.
Needless to say, the Bulls star was less than impressed with the hoops scribe’s assessment of his career to date.
DeMar Fires Back
In response to his inclusion in Bailey’s feature, DeRozan voiced his displeasure via Twitter by posting a clip of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ protagonist, CJ, saying, “Oh s**t, here we go again.” And considering Bailey’s rationale for including him here, it’s not difficult to understand why he felt compelled to respond.
Wrote Bailey: “For much of the last 10 years, inefficiency, lack of defense and an unwillingness to adapt to the ongoing three-point revolution adversely affected his impact.
B/R’s stat maven continued to hammer the Bulls star for what is arguably his best skill on the hardwood and one of the biggest reasons for the Bulls’ turnaround in ’21-22.
“Due in part to the fact that he’s so reliant on the mid-range — one of the tougher spots on the floor for efficiency — DeRozan has posted a below-average effective field-goal percentage in nine of the past 10 years,” Bailey reminded.
While Bailey isn’t wrong on the raw shooting numbers, it’s worth noting that DeRozan still shows incredibly well by measurements designed to weigh a player’s impact on the whole. So much so, in fact, that he may actually be underrated.
Catch-Alls Say He’s One of the Best
Over the 10-season span from 2012-13 to 2021-22, DeRozan actually ranks among some of the best players league-wide (and of all time, in some cases) in a number of categories. That includes several catch-all metrics designed to determine players’ overall value on the court.
His 75.7 win shares rank 16th among all players during that period. For the record, that number is higher than the likes of Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Klay Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Joel Embiid and many others.
Meanwhile, he’s 25th in VORP at 23.7, and 30th in PER (among players appearing in 300-plus games across the decade) at 20.2.
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Bulls Star DeMar DeRozan Claps Back at Analyst’s ‘Overrated’ Tag