3 Chicago Bulls players who need to perform better in November

2. DeMar DeRozan

Make no mistake, DeMar DeRozan has by no means played poorly, but his performance in November has been a far cry from the world-beater we saw last season. Unrealistic as it may be to expect him to get back to those genuine MVP levels of production, I don’t think his current production is where either he or the Bulls want it to be.

Here’s how DeRozan’s stat line has looked since joining the Bulls:

• DeRozan in 2020-21: 27.9 PTS, 4.9 AST, 5.2 REB, 50.4 FG%, 35.2 3P%
• DeRozan in October: 25.9 PTS, 4.6 AST, 3.4 REB, 53.0 FG%, 33.3 3P%,
• DeRozan in November: 22.8 PTS, 3.8 AST, 4.8 REB, 47.9 FG%, 10.0 3P%

What’s particularly concerning is that there’s been a clear decline for DeRozan in November, despite an incredible 46-point performance against Boston propping his averages up. Without factoring in that one superb game, DeMar’s averages across the other five games look far more miserable.

The Chicago Bulls need DeMar DeRozan to establish a level of consistency.

Of course, these inconsistencies will always pop up when we’re looking at such a small sample size. So far in November, DeMar has been just as likely to drop 30+ points as he has been to be held under 10 points in a game. Only 13 games into the season, I have little doubt DeRozan will find his rhythm, but cutting down on easily-correctable mistakes like technical fouls will help keep DeMar calm and composed on the court.