Imagine a shooting guard who is 6'6, 220-pound, and whose main role on offense is being a mid-range assassin. In one of his all-NBA seasons, he averaged 27.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 assists per contest, while shooting 46.7% from the field. He is not exactly known for his three-point shooting.
Done? Chances are you thought of Michael Jordan. After all, these things sound like they would describe his Airness, but no this is how DeMar DeRozan's 2016-2017 season with the Toronto Raptors went. Does this mean that DeRozan should be included in GOAT conversations? Not at all, but this is a reminder of how good he once was.
When people think of DeRozan they recall all those times he got bounced in the postseason by then-Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James. For three years straight from the 2016-2018 playoffs, James would lead the Cavaliers past the Raptors and even swept them twice. The box scores indicate that there were a couple of games that went down the wire. Nevertheless, it was safe to say that LeBron had the Raptor's number.
Another thing going against the DeRozan narrative is that he would regularly underperform in the postseason. During those playoffs, his stats would go down and he would shoot considerably worse. Meanwhile, James would flip the switch during the playoffs and takeover games.
Mentally, it just seemed like the team could not get over the LeBron hurdle and it showed in their body language. This was such a shame as those teams were well-rounded and had a complete roster. Kyle Lowry was DeRozan's All-Star partner in the backcourt. They had solid players like Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valančiūnas, but they didn't have nearly enough to topple Cleveland in a seven-game series.
While basketball is a team game, a lot of the blame fell on DeRozan as he was the face of the franchise at the time and its best player. It did not help that when LeBron left for the Los Angeles Lakers, DeRozan was swapped out for Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs. These Raptors would go on to win it all for the first time in the franchise's young history. This was an indicator of the strength of DeRozan's supporting cast.
DeRozan will finish his career as one of the greatest players to ever don the Toronto uniform. He wanted to spend his whole career with the Raptors organization. Unfortunately, his shortcomings in the playoffs, especially against LeBron James, are a blemish in his bid as the undisputed King of the North.
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