During a lengthy break between games compared to usual for the Chicago Bulls this week, star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan stayed busy before his team gets back to work heading into the weekend. In the same 24 hour span, DeRozan did a couple of interviews that were noteworthy along with witnessing one of his teammates get his college jersey retired.
On Jan. 6, DeRozan got to see his Bulls’ teammate and rookie point guard Ayo Dosunmu get his number retired with the Illinois Fighting Illini. This was a special honor for Dosunmu less than one year after his collegiate career ended in Champaign, IL.
DeRozan also got to talk about the expectations for the Bulls and how he’s feeling about the season less than halfway through the 2021-22 campaign. He was on NBA Today on Jan. 6 to talk about his, and the Bulls, aspirations for the rest of the season.
Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan believes in the title aspirations for this team
He mentioned that he feels like the Bulls’ ceiling for this season is that they “can play with anybody” and that the “goal is to compete for a championship”.
DeMar DeRozan on the Bulls ceiling on NBA Today: “We ain’t gonna cut ourselves short. We feel like we can play with anybody and the goal is to compete for a championship.” pic.twitter.com/pvKqXu1lYH
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) January 6, 2022
It sounds like DeRozan is very confident about where the Bulls are at right now. He feels like this team can go far in the postseason. And why not?
The Bulls are currently sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference standings ahead of the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets with a record of 25-10. Following their home win at the United Center over the Orlando Magic back on the night of Jan. 3, the Bulls are also sitting on a season-best eight-game winning streak.
DeRozan is one of the catalysts to the Bulls’ elevated success in the East this season. He’s looking like a real MVP contender so far this season. DeRozan is averaging around 27 points per game, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, and 0.5 blocks while shooting 50 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc, and 86 percent from the free-throw line.
Next up for DeRozan and the Bulls is a meeting with the Washington Wizards at home at the United Center in Chicago on Jan. 7. The Bulls will be looking to extend their winning streak to nine games if they can beat the Wizards for the second time this week.