Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan is currently in his 14th season as a professional basketball player, but it seems as if he's only gotten better with time. Now 33 years old, DeRozan is certainly no spring chicken, but he definitely still has springs underneath the soles of his shoes. Just ask New Orleans Pelicans second-year forward Trey Murphy.
With a little over four minutes to go in the first quarter, the Bulls led the Pelicans, 16-8. Derrick Jones Jr. gave DeRozan the ball on the left wing, and DeRozan used his lightning quick first step to blow by a great defender in Herb Jones as he rejected the pick set by the 2020 Slam Dunk contest champion. Murphy, as the weak-side defender, tried his best to deter DeRozan at the rim, while Jones also leapt as high as he could to try and bother the Bulls guard, but it was all for naught as DeRozan yammed the ball with a thunderous tomahawk slam.
DeMar DeRozan woke up and chose VIOLENCE 💥pic.twitter.com/nQwkuZoUYx
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) November 10, 2022
Just look at how how high DeMar DeRozan got up as he flushed a monstrous jam over the Pelicans' thicket of long-limbed wing defenders.
Bodied. pic.twitter.com/6EniDLaHZf
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 10, 2022
Bulls fans couldn't help but feel the energy DeRozan brought into the United Center as they showered the five-time All-Star with praise after such an insane feat of athleticism.
Beast mode
— Andrew Ryland (@AndrewRyland6) November 10, 2022
Signed, Sealed, Delivered pic.twitter.com/aIIpERqNub
— Luis Palacios (@lppalacios28) November 10, 2022
Derozan baptized Murphy!!
— Chicago Bulls Pilipinas (@raffydacs) November 10, 2022
Killed him
— Famousnick123💪🏽 (@FamousNick123) November 10, 2022
Perhaps this dunk could be the spark that jolts DeMar DeRozan wide awake, as his scoring numbers have dropped off a bit from last year's career-high effort of 27.9 points a night. While his efficiency from the field and the charity stripe remains top-notch, his shooting from beyond the arc has cratered in the early goings, as he's shot a mere 23.5 percent from deep. For DeRozan to weaponize his unreal vertical and finishing at the rim even better, he will need to leverage the threat of a more reliable outside shot.
At the end of the day, Bulls fans will care about whether DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and company can lead the team to a victory over the Pelicans, who will be motivated to get a win after losing two straight. At the time of writing, the Bulls are currently down by four, 62-58, with nine minutes to go in the third quarter.
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