For all the criticisms DeMar DeRozan has faced in his career (he's unable to space the floor, he's unimpactful defensively, to name a few), he has carved out an impressive career for himself after being drafted ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA Draft. In fact, DeRozan has been one of the most established scorers in the NBA for the past decade, as he's only seven points shy of crossing the 20,000 mark for his career.
However, with the Chicago Bulls scheduled to face DeRozan's former team, the San Antonio Spurs, perhaps the five-time All-Star's route towards that historic milestone will be a bit rockier than many expect.
Per K.C. Johnson, DeMar DeRozan joked that it isn't out of the realm of possibility that Gregg Popovich would pull out all the stops, including a box-and-one, just to prevent DeRozan from making history at all costs.
“That's something Pop would do,” DeRozan said.
The Spurs could try as many zany tactics as they'd like but the fact of the matter is that DeRozan is unlikely to score less than seven points, having averaged 20.8 points for his career. In the past five seasons (an admittedly arbitrary cutoff), DeRozan has only scored six points or less five times out of his 362 games played, a 1.3 percent chance.
Spurs fans will also be elated to see DeMar DeRozan have such a fond recollection of his former coach, especially after he revealed this past offseason that he felt “irrelevant” and that he was “wiped off the map” during his unremarkable three-season stint with the Spurs. During his stay in San Antonio, the Spurs only made the playoffs once.
Thus, it's not a stretch to say that DeRozan's departure in the 2021 offseason has been beneficial for both parties.
DeRozan was an All-Star starter last year, fueled by his clutch performances in his emergence as the Bulls' go-to-guy, even ahead of Zach LaVine. Aging like fine wine, DeRozan posted the best scoring average of his career last year at 27.9, and Bulls fans will forever be fond of how he has embodied the type of play fans want to see from their players.
On the other hand, the Spurs have now pivoted to a full-blown youth movement led by Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Jakob Poeltl, starting the season strong with a 3-2 record with huge wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and perhaps they could make a run for Victor Wembanyama later in the season.
DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls will face the Spurs on Friday night at AT&T Center.
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