Is DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine the Chicago Bulls’ most clutch player?

Following an exciting 2021 offseason, there was much debate surrounding the fit of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine on the Chicago Bulls. Many media personalities doubted their ability to co-exist, which in hindsight seems quite ironic. DeRozan and LaVine ultimately came back to make their critics look foolish in the end, as the pair combined to score the most points of any duo in the NBA last season.

In this year’s GM survey, managers across the league were asked which player they’d feel the most comfortable taking the last shot in a close game. As expected, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant received the most votes. However, one anonymous GM cast their vote for DeRozan.

It makes sense that DeRozan would attract some attention in this category, after his pair of iconic game-winning buzzer-beaters on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

There’s evidence to support his claim as well, as the Chicago Bulls also posted the 4th best clutch time win percentage last year, with a record of 25-16. Per the NBA, “clutch time” is when there’s at most a 5-point differential separating the two teams with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game.

But the question remains, does DeRozan beat out LaVine for the title of Chicago’s most clutch player?

When comparing the Chicago Bulls’ clutch stats from 2021-22, it becomes blatantly obvious who the most clutch player on this team really is.

When looking at the Bulls’ clutch stats from last season, DeRozan and LaVine unsurprisingly stand tall above the rest. Not only do they dwarf their teammates’ late-game production, but their performances also rank out exceptionally well compared to the rest of the NBA.

DeRozan scored the second most of any player in the clutch last season, with his 157 points just barely losing out to Joel Embiid’s 158 clutch points. LaVine, on the other hand, ranks 14th with 93 scored. It’s worth noting that DeRozan played in more clutch games, but even when you compare the averages there’s a clear gap between the two. DeMar scored 4.1 clutch points (3rd in the NBA) in eligible games while LaVine contributed an average of 3 clutch points per contest (14th).

Not only does DeRozan have LaVine beat on raw production, he’s far more efficient as well. Last season DeRozan shot a blistering 53.5% from the field — the highest mark any of the league’s top 10 clutch players reached last year — compared to LaVine’s 49.2% from the field. DeRozan also got to the free throw line twice as often as Zach and even posted an on-court plus/minus of 1.4 compared to LaVine’s 0.6 in the clutch.

All of this is no indictment of LaVine’s late-game capabilities. Relative to the rest of the league, Zach was actually quite good in clutch situations. However, DeRozan was transcendental at times last season and was easily the most clutch player we’ve seen in a Bulls uniform this century.

When looking at DeMar’s raw stats in the clutch last year, the only players who are even in the same realm statistically are Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the two runaway MVP favorites who each had a career year last season. If that doesn’t convince you of DeRozan’s status as one of the greatest late-game performers in franchise history, I don’t know what will.

So if the question is who do I want to take the last shot, give me DeMar DeRozan all day.