The entire postseason has been a struggle for DeMar DeRozan, and things have only gotten worse lately.
In Game 1 against the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors shooting guard injured his right thumb, which is having an adverse effect on his ability to grip the ball, according to CBS Sports' James Herbert:
Re: thumb, DeMar says he can't grip the ball like he wants to, he hated wearing wrap. "Trying to figure out the best way to play with it."
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) May 11, 2016
Just how much the thumb is affecting DeRozan is hard to tell. He's shooting only 33 percent from the floor in the playoffs, a number that's gotten even worse since he suffered the injury, but not considerably so. Over the last three games, he has shot just 19-of-58 (32.8 percent) from the floor and has been even worse from the free-throw line, shooting only 50 percent (10-for-20) at the charity stripe.
Neither his shooting or his thumb seem to be getting any better, either, as he was 4-for-17 from the field and 1-for-4 from the line in the Raptors' Game 4 loss to the Heat on Monday.
Despite the poor showing, DeRozan insists his injury is getting better, however. From the Canadian Press' Lori Ewing:
“I ice it, try to keep it moving, don't let it get too stiff on me but it's getting better every single day,” the Raptors all-star guard said after Wednesday morning's shootaround.
With Kyle Lowry also struggling with an elbow issue and Jonas Valanciunas out with a sprained right ankle, the Raptors are going to need someone to step up if they hope to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. They'll be back at home for Wednesday's tilt at home against Miami, hoping to break a 2-2 tie in the series in their favor.
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