The San Antonio Spurs are off to a 4-2 start this season. While the team has been known for their unselfish brand of play, head coach Gregg Popovich says that DeMar DeRozan has been San Antonio's top passer so far.
ESPN's Michael C. Wright wrote a column on how well DeRozan has adjusted to his new team, plus a new facet of his game that we have seen early this season.
“He's a quick study,” the Spurs head coach says. “He picked things up really quickly, and he's a confident player. The game comes easy to him. He's in a difficult situation because he's still trying to learn the system and learn about his teammates, but he's such a willing passer and plays hard.”
“He's turned out to be maybe the best passer on our team, frankly,” Popovich says.
“When you're under a great legendary coach like Pop, there's so much that can be brought out of me that I probably haven't even seen yet,” DeRozan says. “That's what I'm always searching for. What's another way? What's something new that I can find in myself to bring out from my game?”
The numbers clearly back up Popovich's statement. DeRozan has been averaging 8.0 assists so far, to go along with 28.3 points and 6.0 rebounds. During a close call win against the Los Angeles Lakers last October 22, the four-time All-Star registered 32 points, 8 rebounds, and a career-high 14 assists.
DeRozan's high assists production comes at the heels of the Spurs losing point guards Dejounte Murray and Derrick White to injuries. The Spurs have always been known to have the ‘next man up' attitude, and DeRozan could make it to MVP talks this year if he continues to produce impressive numbers like this.
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