DeMar DeRozan speaks of how he modeled his game after Dwyane Wade

Deebo picked an all-time two-guard to model his game after.

Having played the majority of his career in the Eastern Conference, DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls has engaged in numerous head-to-head battles with Miami Heat legend and Chicago native Dwyane Wade. DeRozan reflected on these encounters and acknowledged the invaluable impact they had on his overall development as a player. He spoke of how he modeled his game after Wade, mentioning that he used to pick parts of the latter's game to incorporate them into his arsenal.

Shooting guard showdowns

Being a natural two-guard, DeRozan shared how he and Wade would always match up, and how he'd have a tough time defending the crafty guard.

"I was a 2 (guard), I played primary 2. So I always had to deal with D-Wade. Being fast, quick, the way he reject. If he don't get the reject, he take your a** in the post. Pump fake. And that's where a lot of my game started to come from," DeRozan said during his appearance on Iman Shumpert's podcast.

"Using the pump fake from D-Wade, getting to the midrange, picking your spots, using athletic ability, getting downhill," DeRozan continued about some of the aspects of Wade's game that he has since incorporated into his own.

Incredible work ethic

The NBA is a dog-eat-dog league, and DeRozan was never one to shy away from a challenge. This competitive fire has driven Deebo through every season of his career, always pushing himself to be better than the previous year. Aside from his incredible work ethic, especially during the offseason, attention to detail and constant study of the game were crucial in his development to becoming a top-tier talent.

"Seeing D-Wade so much really made me feel like...I gotta add a lot of this aspect to the game,'" DeRozan added. "Obviously Kobe was my everything. I learned so much. But seeing DWade so much in the east, at the two position, you had to steal so much from the dude."