Chicago Bulls are learning to adjust when defenses clamp DeMar DeRozan

It's no secret that every Chicago Bulls scouting report starts with a game plan to stop DeMar DeRozan -- the All-Star guard has been shouldering a huge load for his team all season, and defenses have keyed in on him. But what's also become clear is that DeRozan is not only carrying the Bulls' offense with scoring as he's also learned how to adjust when teams try to take him out of the game.

Others stepping up

The Toronto Raptors went all-in in their strategy to trap DeRozan every chance they could, and it worked to an extent. The Bulls forward only scored nine points on a measly six attempts from the floor. But the rest of his teammates picked up the slack, with Zach LaVine leading the way with 30 points.

It's become clear that defenses will not let DeRozan beat them single-handedly, and the Bulls will have to find ways to make them pay even if their leading scorer is having an off-night shooting-wise.

"We gotta be coming together, gelling as a team. That's what it's gonna have to be. It's not about me being the leading scorer every night," DeRozan said as six players scored in double-figures against the Raptors. DeRozan also had a team-high seven assists.

"We gotta be able to play the right way so that teams don't know how to defend us. And if you try to take one of us away, either me or Zach, other guys could get it going as well and make our job a lot easier on top of that. As long as we're playing great basketball at the right time that's all that matters," the five-time All-Star added.

Pretty passing for a Dalen bucket 👏 pic.twitter.com/5IpkXY67LR
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) November 6, 2022

Diversified looks

DeRozan is more than capable of shouldering the load for the Bulls. However, that's not the identity head coach Billy Donovan wants his team to have.

"You can't just rely on him to get 46 like he did in Boston. That may happen on given nights because he's that good. But that's not sustainable every single night. We need an entire team," Donovan said.

DeMar is a master.@DeMar_DeRozan | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/topSymHfGW
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 5, 2022

Donovan said that one of the keys for the Bulls is to keep defenses guessing by running different sets and looks. The more diversified the offense is, the harder it will be for teams to key in on DeRozan.