© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
DeMar DeRozan's unselfishness is helping the Chicago Bulls improve their score
With Zach LaVine nursing a foot injury that will keep him out for nearly a month, the Chicago Bulls have often turned to prolific wingman DeMar DeRozan to help them put points on the board.
But as capable as Deebo is at generating offense by himself, his unselfishness has helped his teammates find their rhythm on the court, in the process elevating the Bulls up from the pits of the NBA.
Legitimate playmaker
The Bulls have won four games in a row. While credit also has to go to Coby White, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic for their improved play, a huge reason for the Bulls’ recent success is DeMar’s willingness to set up his teammates for easy shots. In the last three games, Deebo has averaged 7.7 assists, including two games where he had 10 assists. This is on top of scoring 24.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
“I give him a ton of credit,” coach Billy Donovan said, likening the veteran to having another coach on the floor.
“We had talked a little bit during the offseason. For him, he’s almost in a lot of ways like another point guard out there with his understanding of the game, and his vision, and how smart he is,” Donovan added.
“And I think he knows there’s going to be attention given to him, and can he help facilitate and be quick with his decisions and be aggressive. He’s done a remarkable job getting off the ball, helping us play with good pace, generating good shots for guys.”
Getting everybody involved
DeRozan is capable of putting up a huge number of points on the board on any given night. However, individual scoring accolades can only get you so far in the NBA. For DeRozan, this season has been more about getting everybody involved and creating a balanced scoring attack for the Bulls.
“I don’t ever feel like I gotta score 30, 40 points for us to win. Getting everybody else involved and making that a contagious thing early in the game is beneficial for us all,” DeRozan said.
Not to say that Deebo won’t demand the ball when it’s winning time, as is often the case with superstars. He’s too talented not to take over late in close games, but his approach early in the game has also allowed other players to get into a rhythm.
“Those guys know early on, my goal is to get everybody else going, get everybody else feeling comfortable so it’s difficult to guard us. If the game is close and it’s time for me to do my job, I try to do that to the best of my ability,” DeRozan said.
