After 4 games of the young NBA season, DeMar DeRozan’s lowest scoring night was against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He amassed 32 points, which would be an 82-game highlight for the vast majority of players. He’s had two 40-point games. What is going on here?
For this writer, perhaps the most remarkable feature about DeRozan’s rise to prominence (and if his act continues, to superstardom) was how modestly it began. He was drafted with the ninth overall selection in 2009, but looked about the ninety-ninth selection as a rookie. Simply put, DeRozan couldn’t shoot.
Unlike another Raptors rookie, Vince Carter, who was making eye-popping plays after about 3 games, DeRozan’s other talents were…um…well-hidden.