Win record ‘honour’ for DeRozan
Victory No. 233 puts 26-year-old ahead of Bosh in team’s record books
There have been more difficult times than DeMar DeRozan would care to remember, extended losing streaks and lost seasons, times when he wondered if his tenure with the Toronto Raptors would ever turn for the better.
Now he stands as the Raptor who has won more games than anyone in franchise history and the sense of accomplishment and pride is real.
“It sounds good saying it, honestly,” DeRozan said when he reached the milestone in New York on Monday night. “It’s an honour for me, I’ve been here since the beginning and to have that is big for me. I can’t believe it, I really can’t believe it, but it’s in the books now.”
The books show that the 26-yearold won his 233rd game with the Raptors — in 498 career appearances — when they routed New York. It pushed him past Chris Bosh (232 wins in 509 games) and Morris Peterson (232 in 542) into first place.
“It’s really an exciting time for him and I’m very happy for him,” teammate Kyle Lowry said. “It just shows the adversity he has been through. When he first started here, you would never have thought he would get that record but now he has it. And he did it in less games than the other two.”
Chasing spots in the franchise record book has been a long and difficult journey for DeRozan, who lived through years of consistent losing before breaking through to the postseason in the 2013-14 season.
“The big strides he made from where he was to be an all-star is a great story, it says a lot about him and what he’s meant to the franchise, what he means to the franchise,” coach Dwane Casey said.
“Your legacy is what your record is . . . if you have a record for a franchise as a player, it says a lot. We’re a growing franchise, I know 20 years is not a long time but we’re taking steps and DeMar’s been a big part of that he, he’s a big engine in that growth.
“It’s a feather in his cap to have that record.” DeRozan, who has grown from great athlete to true NBA professional, said he’s proud of having stuck through tough times.
“It takes time to get something like that, it takes hard work and so much to go into the record books . . . that’s definitely a nice feeling.”
DeRozan has become so central to Toronto’s success despite a style of play that’s unique in the NBA these days. He isn’t an accomplished three-point shooter nor is he a lightning-quick point guard, and he doesn’t have a powerful big game. He has a subtlety to a mid-range game that’s among the best in the league.
“He has a niche, we have an offence catered around himself and also Kyle,” Casey said.
“He knows where he’s going to get the ball.
“You can throw the analytics out the window because he gets to the free-throw line enough to offset the three-point shot. We have a system built around DeMar and his antianalytical game that has been efficient for him.”