There’s a reason this Bulls roster feels like they have a good chance to win every night they take the court, and having DeRozan as a closer is a big reason why. And as long as his toes cooperate, he’s been money in crunch-time.
DeMar DeRozan has toe issues.
More specifically, making sure he knows where to put them.
Then again, there’s always that guy.
Whether it’s pick-up games, church league runs, or the playground, he’s drawn to the comforts of that mid-range zone even when he wants to dial up from long distance. That leads to a lot of long twos mistaken as threes.
DeRozan is that guy for the Bulls.
“I always say I think he’s a better three-point shooter than people give him credit for, but oddly enough he’s always got his toes on the line,’’ acting head coach Chris Fleming said with a laugh. “I’m always telling him that.’’
Message heard by the veteran small forward.
At least in the previous two games, where DeRozan continued living up to his “Game of Thrones’’-influenced nickname, “King of the Fourth.”
In Indiana on Friday, it was a one-legged runner at the horn to down the Pacers, and then the follow-up in the nation’s capital the next night was even more impressive. That’s because DeRozan’s toes could have been an issue.
With 3.3 seconds left on the clock, DeRozan not only took time to check where his toes were, but even got off a fake pump to gather himself.
Shot taken, dagger delivered.
“Three seconds left and two guys hanging on him he had it in his mind to look down and see where his feet were to make that shot … incredible shot,” Fleming said.
Fitting, because after 34 games, an incredible season for the 34 year old.
DeRozan not only leads the Bulls in scoring with 26.8 points per game, but also in PER [Player Efficiency Rating] at 24.15.
He does his best work late, however, with DeRozan scoring a league-high 241 points in the fourth quarter on 53.1% from the field, but was also a ridiculous 7-for-13 (53.8%) from three, with most of those long-range shots feeling very meaningful for his teammates.
“It’s an honor to be trusted in the fourth quarter,” DeRozan said. “Whether things are going [good] or going bad, my teammates always lean on me to be that calm presence to kind of bring us home. I always bring that calm presence as much as I can in the fourth quarter, letting guys understand as long we got time, we got a chance.”
Sitting atop the Eastern Conference now, this team is feeling like they have more than a chance when they take the court.
Zach LaVine made that very clear, admitting that for the first time in his career every night he and his teammates step on the court they do so feeling like a win is going to be the final result. Much different for LaVine the previous seven seasons, where it was almost like, “How are we going to blow this one tonight?’’
Thank team chemistry, a roster full of players with chips on their shoulders, but more importantly thank DeRozan.
“The beauty of it is he is who he is,” Fleming said, when discussing DeRozan’s presence in the locker room. “He comes every day. He’s got a routine and a way to treat people. I think some of it just starts there.
“He’s come here for the right reasons. He really wants to be part of a winner. He’s a winning player. He has been on good teams before. I think the way he goes about talking to his teammates and treating his teammates and treating and talking to his coaches, I think that of all the other things you see on the basketball court and his ability to put that thing in the basket, I think it starts there with him.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3EJxr17
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