DeRozan focused on task at hand
Raptors guard eyeing deep playoff run
TORONTO The moment has arrived for the Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan, a moment he pines for every off-season when he puts in long hours and gets off thousands of practice shots in honing his game when it matters most.
For DeRozan, the playoffs are the measuring stick regardless of what’s already been accomplished during the regular season.
The playoff journey for the third-seeded Raptors begins Saturday in Toronto against the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, a young, athletic team going up against a Raptors team that is more experienced, deeper and more accomplished.
Not since the days of Vince Carter has the franchise seen a player produce so much on the offensive side of the court. DeRozan finished among the top five scorers in the NBA and one of the best at drawing contact and getting to the line, much like Carter before him.
A sure sign of DeRozan’s focus and maturity is his reluctance to dwell on his success in favour of focusing on the playoffs and hopefully a deep run for the Raptors.
If the likes of DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka elevate their games, this best-of-seven series should be over rather quickly.
Clearly, the Raptors are the favourites, but the Bucks should be loose with nothing to lose given few pundits are giving them much hope against the Raptors. The Raptors’ game plan is simple enough: limit turnovers and don’t allow Milwaukee to trigger its fast break game.
DeRozan figures to play a leading role in making sure that happens. Along with his scoring prowess, DeRozan became an even better passer this season, which has helped elevate him into a league all-star.
“Every year, I try to come with an answer for something from the year previously,” said DeRozan. “I think that’s what experience brings. That’s why you work extremely hard, why you pay attention, why you study the game and find ways to be better. I don’t dwell on the past. I just try to apply myself to get better.”
DeRozan takes pride in how the Raptors responded when Lowry missed 21 games following wrist surgery. And to a degree, they got even better when Ibaka and P.J. Tucker were acquired. It also had a positive effect on team chemistry.
“My mindset all year was understanding how we could get better,” said DeRozan. “Especially when this situation (with Lowry) came about. I think we definitely feel a lot more confident.”