DeMar DeRozan might still be in shock about the blockbuster trade that went down last week, but he's already hoping to hit the ground running in a San Antonio Spurs uniform. The All-Star shooting guard revealed he's already looking forward to forming a relationship with his new head coach, Gregg Popovich.
“I've always been a fan of Pop,” DeRozan told ESPN's Chris Haynes during a sit-down interview. “There was just something about him from the way he ran his team, the way he coached, his credibility. Everything that stands out about Pop, you just have to love. So to have this opportunity to play with a legendary coach at this point in my career, I think it's one of those blessings that's in disguise because this is a cool moment to be with a guy like that.”
“I've been with Case for the majority of my career. He gave me the ultimate freedom to be myself. First thing Case said to me when the move was made is I'm going to love Pop. To hear that from my coach, on the transition to my new coach, just makes it easy.”
Popovich has been known to be a strict man at the helm, but also one of the most beloved coaches in the league throughout his two-plus decades in the NBA.
The Spurs aren't just getting an All-Star caliber DeRozan, but one with the added motivation to prove what a huge mistake the Toronto Raptors made by trading him.
Asked what the Spurs would get with him on the court this upcoming season, the Compton native put it simply.
“A guy that's been proven to prove himself time and time again — this time around having the biggest chip on his shoulder ever.”
DeRozan will go as far as his relationship with Pop and the rest of his teammates could take him, hoping this new partnership could keep a playoff streak now building into more than two long decades.
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