WASHINGTON — DeMar DeRozan knew the narrative existed.
He heard it throughout the 2021 offseason, after he initially joined the Bulls in a sign-and-trade.
Too old, best years were behind him, DeMar who?
His response?
Shove a career year in everyone’s face.
Eastern Conference All-Star, MVP candidate, and a career-high 27.9 scoring average in the 2021-22 campaign should have silenced the critics. It seemingly only put them on pause.
Because there it was again, building momentum into the start of this regular season. Sure, DeRozan was great last year, but he couldn’t do it again at age 33.
Not again. There would be a regression.
How about 37 points in an undermanned win on South Beach to start the year?
“I have no clue where people get that from,’’ DeRozan said of the perceived decline that his game was supposed to take. “In all seriousness, I don’t even know where you base that off or get it from. I know what I put into this game in the offseason, how much I love this game. I can assure you that not many guys in this league work as hard as I do. With that alone, those statements are BS as it is.’’
DeRozan offered up several explanations of why that narrative exists, but didn’t see sturdy ground for any of them to stand on.
Maybe it was playing in Toronto all those years and unable to get past LeBron James in the East. Or maybe it was being traded to San Antonio post-Spurs dynasty, and seemingly falling off the NBA map for three seasons. Either way, what critics don’t seem to understand about DeRozan is the work he puts into his game, both physically and mentally.
“I can’t answer for someone else’s perception,’’ DeRozan said. “I learned so much in San Antonio that made me this person that I am today. Take away my years in San Antonio … Pop [coach Gregg Popovich] gave me a different perception of how to approach the game, and I’ve got the honor to say I’ve played for one of the greatest coaches of all time. In that moment it probably looked like I was taking a backseat or whatever it may be, but I learned so much from that.’’
And the Bulls locker room has been reaping the rewards of DeRozan’s internship under Popovich.
Even when the news broke before the game with the Heat that Zach LaVine would be out (left knee), it was DeRozan who made sure not a single player hung their head.
Then when DeRozan felt he had moved the chess pieces around as much as possible through the first half against Miami, the veteran knew it was time for him to take over. Nine points and four assists heading into the third quarter, quickly ended up being 28 points and eight assists entering the fourth, as DeRozan went 7-for-9 in giving the Bulls a 10-point lead.
“That’s expected, my MO,’’ DeRozan said. “Beginning of the game help us get shots, then kind of walk the game down. When it gets to that time to win the game, I try and go out and do my job to the best of my ability.’’
An ability that’s been on display since he arrived last year.
While LaVine may have the max contract and be the face of the team, DeRozan remained its heart. That’s what the naysayers seemed to be missing with him. His coach sure hasn’t.
“I think the amount of time he’s spent with Kobe Bryant and past great ones, his whole routine, the grind he puts himself through the entire summer, prepares him for these situations,’’ Donovan said of DeRozan’s latest showcase.
It also prepares DeRozan to have the armor to laugh off the critics.
“It won’t change the way that I approach the game, my passion for the game, things I put in,’’ DeRozan said. “They can say what they want. Everybody has freedom of speech, right?’’
