DeRozan might need to find new trick
Could see fewer trips to line when he leans in on defenders
VICTORIA— Never mind that the Raptors may make subtle adjustments to the way they play that alters the way they use DeMar DeRozan, the whole NBA still seems out to get him.
As one of its points of emphasis for officials heading into the 2017-18 season, the league is taking a firmer stance against a move that is described as “The James Harden-DeMar DeRozan Special.”
The league has instructed officials to be hyper-vigilant watching attacking wings to make sure they’re actually trying to get off a shot before a shooting foul is called. DeRozan and Harden have perfected a play where they initiate contact with over-exuberant defenders to draw fouls that send them to the free-throw line.
Now the officials will have to be certain a shot was coming or else it’ll just be a common foul and not necessarily a play that sends the offensive player to the line.
The seasoned veteran that he is, DeRozan knows what he has to do.
“You just gotta get even more trickier,” he said.
Getting to the line has been an integral part of the 28-year-old’s game. DeRozan averaged 8.7 free throws per game last season, fifth in the league, and behind the 10.9 average of Harden. While DeRozan possesses one of the more lethal midrange games in the NBA, his points total is enhanced by his efficiency at the line, where he makes 84 per cent of his freethrow attempts.
“You can’t make it make you less aggressive,” he said of the crackdown. “You still have to be aggressive and understand you might not get that (call) and still be able to finish.
“You kind of hand-hunt a lot of times. Everybody wants to dig in, dig in with their hands. (You) just have to be more conscious of it . . . if you get hit, you get hit; if you get a call, you get a call.”
Much has been made about the Raptors’ desire to change the way they play offence, at least a little bit. They would like to get up more three-pointers, perhaps as many as 30 attempts per game after averaging 24.3 last season, and they’d like to get some more ball and player movement in their system.
But they also don’t want to take away entirely from what DeRozan does best — that mid-range game he has mastered — and they are mindful, as is he, about trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
“I don’t look at it as a change, more so as adding to everything that I do and trying to make the most out of it,” DeRozan said. “Try to make everybody better while I’m still being myself at the same time, picking and choosing when it’s time for me to take a three or when it’s time for me to get a guy an open three.”
It’s a mindset more than a stark change from the way the team plays.
“It’s more of a big picture thing,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “DeMar, he wants to win more than anyone so he may average four less points, five less points and three more assists and our offence is going to be better served.
“I think that’s the mentality he has and we want him to have, and it’s not a battle with him. He’s trying to play within the offence and the new system we have.”