Key Chicago Bulls players that can help the team stay undefeated: DeMar DeRozan
Bulls fans should really appreciate the two-way production that the four-time All-Star shooting guard/forward and former San Antonio Spur DeMar DeRozan gave this team in the season opener. Against the Pistons, DeRozan played really solid on-ball defense and was a versatile scorer and offensive playmaker that helped push this team’s offense when it was sputtering in the second and third quarters.
DeRozan finished up the season-opening win over the Pistons with 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, no block, and turnovers. And he shot 8-of-17 from the field, hit on one attempt from beyond the arc, and missed on both of his attempts from the charity stripe.
It would be good to see DeRozan get to the free-throw line more often from here on out. Last season, he registered a career-best .478 free-throw attempt rate. Against the Pistons, DeRozan had a free-throw attempt rate of just .118. It made matters worse that he missed both attempts too.
All in all, we need to see more than just one point per field goal attempt from DeRozan. While it’s not often that we’re going to see DeRozan hit a lot of three-pointers, he is usually a specialist in getting to the free-throw line. DeRozan has never averaged one point per field goal attempt in his career, and we’re not likely to see that happen this season.
If DeRozan can get a little bit more efficient with his scoring efforts while maintaining at least a respectable defensive presence, he will be a special player for the Bulls this season.