DeMar DeRozan Comments on Free Agency, Playing the Heat, Dwyane Wade, More
The Toronto Raptors are two wins away from the Eastern Conference Finals despite the utter failure of their stars. Kyle Lowry (Game 3 vs. Miami) and DeMar DeRozan (Game 5 vs. Indiana) each have exactly one good game to their name this postseason.
Yet despite the mounting criticism and heightened pressure, DeRozan remains unfazed as the Raptors return home for a critical Game 5 against the Heat.
"You can’t let frustration get to you, at all. Can’t listen to what the outsiders got to say. You just can’t get caught up in that. You’ve got to stay positive," DeRozan said, per Michael Lee of The Vertical. "It’s 2-2. We’ve got a great opportunity to go home and do what we can do."
DeRozan, 26, is shooting 35 percent for the series and hasn't made a single three-pointer. His points per game have dipped by six from his regular-season average (23.5 to 17.5), and he's become a bricky shooter at the free-throw line after knocking down 85 percent during an All-Star campaign.
Part of that is a bothersome thumb injury that's had DeRozan playing through pain for most of the playoffs. As Lee notes, the USC product is having difficulty completing simple tasks like tying his shoe.
"I’ve never been one of those guys to be like, ‘Why? Why did this happen, or why'd it happen now?’ It’s part of the game. You’ve got to take the good with the bad sometimes," DeRozan said. "I’m going to fight through it, deal with it and go from there with it. I’ve got a whole summer to let it heal and figure itself out."
Sore thumb or not, DeRozan has played some inexplicably bad/low-IQ basketball this postseason. He's taken 117 of his 218 postseason shots from mid-range, the NBA's dead zone.
Making matters worse is the fact these aren't open jumpers given to him by defenders dropping down on a pick-and-roll. DeRozan's jacking up ugly contested jumpers, often with ample time remaining on the shot clock. More than two-thirds of DeRozan's shots during the playoffs have come with "tight" or "very tight" defense, according to SportVU tracking data. He's shooting a ghastly 28.8 percent on those looks.
Adding to the disappointment is the fact that DeRozan's counterpart, Dwyane Wade, has been lighting the world on fire. Wade has combined for 68 points over the last two games and is averaging 27.3 for the series. He's hit one fewer three against Toronto (six) than he did during the entire regular season.
"It don’t matter how long you’ve been around, if you’re a champion, you’re going to figure out a way," DeRozan said of Wade.
The disparity has been so bad that some are starting to speculate whether DeRozan has hurt his value on the open market. He will almost certainly opt out of his player option for 2016-17 and become an unrestricted free agent, with hopes of landing a max contract. For his part, DeRozan doesn't seem bothered by any potential losses.
"I feel like I have nothing to worry about," DeRozan said of free agency. "I take it day by day, whatever happens. I’m not even looking towards then. I’m thinking about the next game and trying to figure out that."
DeRozan has good reason to relax. He's one of a select few marquee free agents in a summer where NBA teams are going to have record cash to spend. Some team is maxing him out. It'll probably be the Raptors—even if they lose to this depleted Heat team. But this postseason has been bad enough to validly make some wonder whether it's a good idea that DeRozan will be paid like a star this summer.
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Stats via NBA.com
