DeRozan returns to town as the old man on Bulls
Former Raptors star remains one of game’s top mid-range shooters
This is hard to wrap one’s head around.
DeMar DeRozan, who arrived in Toronto as a quiet teenager from Compton and grew into one of the great and beloved icons of the Raptors franchise, is now the oldest player on an emerging, youthful Chicago Bulls team.
The 32-year-old often played an old man’s game — footwork and savvy, a lethal mid-range game everyone knows he has but one that teams to this day can’t stop consistently — but to actually be the old man?
That’s an entirely hard thing for many to comprehend. Including DeRozan, who was to play in Toronto for just the second time ever as an opponent when the Chicago Bulls took on the Raptors on Monday night.
Takes some getting used to. “I try to keep up with them more so than anything,” he joked after the team’s morning shootaround.
But DeRozan is far more than just a stable pony for a Bulls team that won its first three games of the season.
Sure, he’s played more games (885 including Monday) than anyone on the team. His 12 years of service in Toronto and San Antonio is more than anyone, the next closest is centre Nikola Vucevic with 10, and his nearly 18,000 points scored dwarfs any teammate.
He’s still got some game — he remains one of the top midrange shooters in the league and drop a quiet 40 points almost any time out — and his style is perfectly suited for the Bulls.
“He’s always under control, unless he’s having a meltdown with the referees,” Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet joked.
“But his game never gets sped up. He can get a shot whenever he wants and he’s really grown as a facilitator in the last couple of years.
“He’s one of the best in the league at being one of those primary guys and being able to create shots for himself and for others.”
DeRozan saw a great fit with the Bulls when he entered free agency last summer, the first time he’d ever had a chance to switch franchises since he was never going to leave the Raptors of his own volition.
It’s a good young team just learning to mesh with DeRozan and Lonzo Ball added to a core of Zach LaVine and Vucevic.
“We understand we still have a lot to learn offensively and defensively, and I tell them just be patient,” DeRozan said. “We’re going to have some bumps in the road, but as long as we play hard we can rely on that every single night.
“Everything’s not going to be perfect offensively right away, even defensively, but as long as we bring the energy and have fun with it we’ll have the outcomes that we had these first three games.”
That’s the knowledge, the experience that counts most for a Chicago franchise that’s missed the playoffs five of the past six seasons.
“It’s just me using my experience more than anything, just me understanding what it takes to win,” DeRozan said. “I’ve been in the league a long time and seen a lot of things that a lot of these guys haven’t, understanding how to win games and close out games.
“That’s kind of my role and just helping them understand that.”
The funny thing is, DeRozan’s already been a leader without fully recognizing it or having years of experience behind him. In his nine seasons with the Raptors, he helped groom a group of youngsters, with some becoming the backbone of this team.
“He’s always working on his game, adding new stuff,” VanVleet said. “He didn’t shoot the three, then he shot the three, then he went away from the three. I saw him improve as a playmaker.
“He’s a gym rat, working on his game, working on his body. It helped shape my career and what my work ethic and my routine was going to be.”