Why DeMar DeRozan is the Savior the Bulls Needed
Every team needs that second primary scorer who they can depend on when one of your stars are in a slump. DeMar DeRozan definitely has been that guy.
When the Bulls signed DeRozan, they were looking for a scorer. Tey wanted a processor to Zach LaVine. They were looking for that second leader to guide them into the playoffs. Nobody really thought that it would work, but DeRozan is proving the doubters wrong.
DeRozan always has been known for his elite mid-range game & solid defense. Throughout his career he has proven to be that Kobe Bryant-type of mid-range, dead-eye shooter.
So why did everyone doubt that this tandem of Lavine and DeRozan wouldn’t work? Critics thought that this team had no defense, and they believed that both guys are best when “they have the ball in their hands.” Both guys have silenced the doubters, and their record and numbers together shows otherwise.
What’s funny is that this team has a top-10 defense, which apparently no one believed they would have at the start of the season, even after the additions of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. When healthy, this team easily is the best in the Eastern Conference. It’s already beaten the teams people thought it couldn’t beat.
Nobody saw this coming not even in the slightest. DeRozan and Lavine are currently in the the top 10 in scoring, with DeRozan coming in at sixth currently with 26.4 points a game and Lavine only two slots down at eighth with 26.0 points a game. When both guys are on the court, no one can stop this tandem. This team currently ranks 15th in assists. That’s not bad for a team with “ball-dominant” players.
DeRozan’s playoff history is not the best. But he has never played on a “complete” team like this. With other primary scorers like LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, it’ll be interesting to see just how far this Big Three can go. Knowing that each can depend on each other when any guy’s shot is not falling, there is no pressure on one guy to “do it all” like DeRozan has tried to do for years.
Although the season is young, this team has proven that it won’t back down, and it will not quit. DeRozan is exactly what this young team needed. Currently, the critics are nowhere to be found.
