Although star forward DeMar DeRozan just posted an All-NBA caliber season while leading the Chicago Bulls back to the postseason for the first time since 2017, it doesn’t appear the national media’s smear campaign against him is over just yet. This time the culprit is Bleacher Report, as they have labeled DeRozan as one of the five most overrated players of the last decade.
If you’ve followed DeRozan’s career before he landed in Chicago, you’d know his track record as a postseason performer is… less than savory. While a dip in production is expected against much stiffer playoff competition, DeMar’s career averages (from the year he first made the playoffs) of 23.4 points and 4.9 assists on 46.8% shooting from the field plummet all the way down to 21.8 points and 3.7 assists on 41.8% shooting.
In spite of a lackluster postseason pedigree, DeRozan has gone on to enjoy a very successful individual career, accumulating several accolades including three All-NBA nominations and five All-Star appearances.
However, team success has continued to elude DeMar throughout the years. A casualty of the Kawhi Leonard trade, he was even forced to watch his teammates in Toronto go the distance and win a championship without him in 2019.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to take national media sources with their ridiculous critiques of Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan.
Since then, DeRozan has strived to continue working on his game and adapting to new roles. Unlike so many of his peers, he doesn’t allow his sustained dominance in the NBA to cloud his judgment while stubbornly remaining stuck in his old ways.
DeRozan’s court vision and playmaking ability were displayed in ways never seen before once he finally got the chance to be the primary ball handler. Without Kyle Lowry to lean on like a crutch, DeMar was forced to improve while on the Spurs. That mentality has carried over to Chicago as well, as his notorious lack of a three-point shot is a thing of the past now, as he hit a career-high 35.2% from deep while taking the third-highest attempts from beyond the arc of his career.
In the past, DeRozan has received criticism for inefficient play in the postseason, despite never having an elite scorer at his side before Zach LaVine. He’s been criticized for not being a playmaker, despite the fact he never had to be one with Lowry around. Now that we’ve seen DeRozan at full strength, it’s clear to see he was always really this good, but was just horribly misused by the Raptors.
This also brings into question, how can DeRozan be “overrated” if his reputation is that of a playoff choker? Let’s not forget the “LeBronto” moniker; how can someone be underrated when they’ve been ridiculed their entire career for losing to LeBron James?
It’s not as though his All-NBA and All-Star selections compile some ridiculously unrealistic resume; it’s hard to pinpoint even a single year where he didn’t deserve those awards If anything DeRozan proved last year he’s been overlooked his entire career — thanks again, B/R.
If Bleacher Report wants to double down and continue issuing statements that declare DeMar DeRozan as the “worst signing”, and “most overrated”, then that’s fine. But the only purpose such remarks will serve in the long run is adding more fuel to the dumpster fire of Bulls’ coverage nationally, ultimately motivating this team to push to even further heights than we all saw last season.