Getty DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls roster the NBA’s seventh-leading active scorer in DeMar DeRozan.
But despite that and numerous other accolades, DeRozan landed on a list of the most overrated players in the NBA, slotting in at No. 5. DeRozan has dealt with similar critiques for some time, garnering the nickname DeMar “DeFrozen” for his playoff shortcomings dating back to his time with the Toronto Raptors.
“Same ol b*******,” DeRozan exclaimed in a tweet on July 29, perhaps in response to news of his ranking circulating.
He’s heard it all before and even spoke with former NBA guard Iman Shumpert on ‘Iman Amongst Men’ on July 25 about how he somewhat internalizes criticisms of players who work the mid-range as he does.
But his ranking is still out there based at least in part on some irrefutable statistics.
“There aren’t many players you’d trust more…to create a good scoring chance from a one-on-one standstill matchup,” wrote Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, in an article from July 27 listing DeRozan as the fifth-most ‘overrated’ player. “He was an easy inclusion…because DeRozan’s individual bucket-getting prowess has led to precious little team success.”
DeRozan, 33, averaged 24.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.6 rebounds with 1.1 steals per game this past season but turns 34 years old in August and is heading into the final year of his contract.
He did adjust his game down the stretch, shooting 36.2% from downtown on 3.4 attempts per game over his final 14 appearances. That’s a 5.7% improvement in his efficiency and 1.5 more attempts than he was averaging going into that stretch.
DeMar DeRozan’s Faults Under the Microscope
DeRozan “boasts” the worst plus-minus in NBA playoff history, a fact that is not often lost when it comes to his detractors who also point to Toronto’s title run the season they traded him to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. What is not discussed as often is that the Raptors were a few fortunate bounces away from a different outcome in the second round that postseason.
That team did not have to go up against the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers — who went on the represent the Eastern Conference of the 2018 NBA Finals — as DeRozan’s Raptors did the season before while Leonard left in free agency that summer.
DeRozan spent three seasons with the Spurs where, though he appreciated his time in hindsight, he said he felt “non-existent”. The Bulls traded for him in the summer of 2021 and his impact has long gone far beyond simply what he provides on the court.
DeMar DeRozan the Mentor
As things have gone quiet across the NBA, this downtime can be a trap for players to regress if they’re not careful. Training camp is still over one month away and, while Game 5 of the NBA Finals was on June 12, most of the league has not played in an NBA-sanctioned game since April.
DeRozan mandated his younger teammates workout with him in Los Angeles this offseason.
His routine should help those teammates – namely Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry – avoid the pitfalls of having so much free time and more funds than they ever have before.
The Bulls got very little from Terry, the No. 18 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, as a rookie but that was largely by design. He offers many traits that they are looking for but clearly nothing to the level where head coach Billy Donovan felt he can be entrusted with a consistent role yet.
Williams, on the other hand, has been pushed to be the key to uplifting this overall group. He has noted his own disappointment in how his season turned out despite averaging a career-high 10.2 points per game and appearing in all 82 contests just one season after an injury limited him to just 17 games all season.
Drafted with the No. 4 overall pick in 2020, Williams could benefit from playing small forward rather than power forward. But, with DeRozan around and still productive while also being a good example for his teammates, that seems unlikely