Getty Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors.
Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan isn’t a fan of one bit of fallout from the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament. During the Bulls’ 121-108 loss to the Toronto Raptors on November 24, Pascal Siakam took a three-pointer with the clock winding down and the game well in hand. That did not sit well with DeRozan.
“I don’t care about no In-Season Tournament points, none of that. Just respect for the game,” DeRozan said after the game, per NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. “If the roles was flip-flopped and I had the ball, hold it. It is what it is.”
The Raptors also entered the night already eliminated from the next round of the In-Season Tournament thanks to the Bulls. This win returned the favor.
DeRozan, who was ejected from the game, immediately reacted to the shot.
from players wondering why their bench is yelling to score at end of blowouts, to Memphis crowd tonight, now this in Toronto: there continues to be confusion across the NBA why teams arent dribbling out the clock. DeRozan tilts here, Rajakovic tells him “in-season tournament!”
“Everybody was yelling at him, ‘Score, score, score.’ Take the win. Get out of here,” DeRozan said, per Johnson. “Like I said, if roles were reversed, needing In-Season Tournament points or not, just for the respect I have for my opponents, I hold the ball. Especially if there’s no shot clock. That’s just me.”
DeMar DeRozan ‘Frustrated’ by More Than Pascal Siakam
Another loss for the Bulls means continued speculation about what the future holds for DeRozan and the other stars. This time loss was the Bulls’ third straight and sixth in the last seven games. It is their third three-game losing streak of the 2023-24 campaign. They had five such streaks all of last season.
“I can’t fake it. I’m beyond frustrated. Everybody in this locker room is frustrated,” DeRozan said. “It’s from a good place of being a competitor and wanting to figure it out that badly. Put a couple wins together. I really truly believe that can shift everything for us.”
DeRozan had 19 points in the loss to Toronto.
He was 7-for-16 from the floor and missed his lone attempt from beyond the arc. DeRozan has scored fewer than 19 points in five of the Bulls’ last 12 games.
While his struggles are far from the only reason, the team is still 0-5 in those games now. They are 5-6 when he does surpass the 20-point mark this season. DeRozan is averaging 21.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds on the year. All of those numbers are down from last season while his 54.4% true shooting mark is his lowest since 2018-19.
For a Bulls team that is spiraling, the bigger concern might be what that does to his trade value than the impact on the court
DeRozan’s trade value is already unclear.
Bulls Need DeMar DeRozan to Play Better
The six-time All-Star in his age-34 season and in the final year of a three-year, $81.9 million contract. Contract extension talks with the Bulls have already stalled out for the time being.
DeRozan has been the Bull’s best player since his arrival ahead of the 2021-22 season. And he mentors the team’s younger players. But, as he focuses on winning in regards to his new contract, the Bulls – whose young players have not taken the expected leaps this season – might need to alter their focus as well.
It would help their cause in a potential trade if they were getting production closer to what DeRozan provided last season. They might also be winning more games, minimizing the early trade chatter.