Getty DeMar DeRozan, right, and Zach LaVine of the Bulls
Back in October, it might not have been a huge surprise to find that, a month into this NBA season, the Bulls had themselves an MVP candidate. It’s just that most would have predicted it would be star guard Zach LaVine. Here we are in mid-November, though, and the Bull getting MVP buzz is not LaVine—it’s new Chicagoan DeMar DeRozan.
After a rough showing to open Chicago’s road trip against Golden State on Friday, DeRozan was dominant in two games against the L.A. teams on Sunday and Monday, posting 35 points in the win over the Clippers followed by 38 in a high-profile matchup against the Lakers. DeRozan is now averaging 26.9 points per game on 51.0% shooting, with 37.1% 3-point shooting. He is also pitching in 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
With the Bulls now at 10-4, that had more than a few observers noting that, while it might be tough to catch the likes of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, DeRozan at least has earned an early-season spot in the MVP conversation.
The Twitter account for The Athletic on Monday tweeted, “Is DeMar DeRozan an MVP candidate at the moment?”
38 PTS, 15/23 FG, 6 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL vs. the Lakers tonight.
26.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.1 APG this season.
Is DeMar DeRozan an MVP candidate at the moment?
Even before DeRozan’s 73-point L.A. explosion, USA Today’s For the Win site was asking if DeRozan is “REALLY” a candidate.
Is DeMar DeRozan REALLY an MVP candidate? Here are some arguments for and against it.
Yahoo Sportsbook, the site’s gambling wing, pointed out that DeRozan would be a good longshot pick, at plus-12,500.
DeRozan is the Master of the Long 2-Pointer
This is, no doubt, some sweet justice for DeRozan, who has often been maligned in the modern NBA because he centers his game around midrange shots, which have become no-nos in an increasingly analytical era. Long 2-pointers are not a solid foundation for an offensive attack—at least not for most players.
DeRozan is not most players. According to Basketball-Reference.com, he shoots 28.5% of his shots from 10-16 feet and has been extraordinarily efficient with those looks, sinking 53.3% of them. Coach Billy Donovan gushed about DeRozan’s efficiency this season after the Lakers win:
It’s incredible how efficient he’s been, how poised he is. I think he understands the length and time of games. He doesn’t really rush, he gets to his spots, he knows how to get to his spots. He feels really comfortable when he gets there.
So much of the game has turned analytical and if the score is ties with five seconds to go, no one is worried about non-paint 2s at that point, you want to score a basket, right? And he has made a career at being an incredible offensive player inside the 3-point line. But I do feel like he’s always, from my perspective, watching him and now coaching him, he is a really good 3-point shooter. He chooses the ones he wants to take, and I think that’s what opens up the open 3s and allows him to play in space to get to his spots. But he has been on an incredible run, and really, really efficient.
DeRozan: LaVine ‘Was Trying to Force Me to Get 40’
For DeRozan, the key has been his comfort level with the current group of Bulls, starting with fellow star wing LaVine. DeRozan said that as he kept scoring throughout the game, it was LaVine who was trying to push him to get more.
“He was trying to force me to get 40 tonight and I told him I was tired,” DeRozan said. “That’s just us. I’m pretty sure we are going to be playing games where it is vice-versa.”
But DeRozan said playing with an unselfish group that includes LaVine, point guard Lonzo Ball, guard Alex Caruso and big man Nikola Vucevic (currently not with the team because he is in the league COVID-19 health and safety protocols), has helped him tap into the best his game has to offer.
“Being myself,” he said. “Like I said yesterday, going out there playing, not thinking. Picking and choosing my spots. Just the hunger, wanting to be successful tonight—every single night, really. Just go out there and compete, have fun with my teammates. The goal every single night is to try to come out with a victory. That’s our job every single night and I try to do my job to the best of my abilities.”