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DeMar DeRozan is playing with uncharacteristic aggression to start the season for the Toronto Raptors. After a 1-1 start to the season, the 6-foot-7 shooting guard kept his intensity from the first two games, dropping 33 points in a 105-102 win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Compton native has made 12 or more field goals in each of the three games, including a 17-of-27 performance that saw him score 40 points in the season-opener against the Detroit Pistons.
He's become the first player in franchise history to start the season with three 30-point games and the first to start a season that way since Kobe Bryant in 2005, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Bryant won the scoring title that season with a 35.4 points per game average, the highest scoring average since Michael Jordan in 1986-87.
DeRozan is fresh off signing a five-year, $139 million deal this offseason, and he's been hellbent on earning every penny. He's taken some of the load off Kyle Lowry‘s shoulders and has been aggressive with the ball in his hands, averaging close to eight trips to the line per game.
The Raptors swingman had previously taken exception with Sports Illustrated's ranking him the 46th-best NBA player for the 2016-17 season, and he's out there proving he's much better than that with a 35 points-per-game clip to go with 5.3 rebounds per game.
DeMar DeRozan has made his case among the top shooting guards in the Eastern Conference — he's now made double-digit field goals in his last five games, dating back to the preseason.
