One of the biggest offseason moves so far in the NBA was six-time All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan leaving the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade to head to the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento missed the postseason last year and set out to bring in more talent to get themselves back to the playoffs this season. DeRozan fills in the spot that Harrison Barnes played last season, giving the Kings more of a boost. While it remains to be seen how he will gel with the other players on the roster, Sacramento surely got better by adding DeRozan.
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However, some are doubting how good of a player the former USC Trojans guard really is. Former NBA player Rashad McCants took a shot at DeRozan while on the Gilbert Arenas Show. McCants believes that despite his accolades and accomplishments, DeRozan isn't a "scorer" in the NBA.
"He can score. He's not a scorer. You can go get buckets in a variety of manners. Richard Hamilton wasn't a scorer, he was a great shooter. He was a great mid-range shooter, there ain't no go get me a bucket. Nah, DeMar ain't going to get me a bucket, definitely not. But he can score."
— . (@TheNBACentral) July 12, 2024
DeRozan has been one of the better scorers in the NBA over the last few seasons and even put up strong numbers last year in Chicago. He averaged 24.0 points for the Bulls and has averaged 24.02 points in each season over the last five years. DeRozan also has been one of the more efficient and prolific scorers down the stretch of games. Last season, he was fourth in the NBA in crunchtime numbers, averaging 4.6 points according to NBA.com's Advanced Stats.
The veteran forward does most of his damage in the mid-range and in the paint as he has never been a strong 3-point shooter. His ability to score the ball is impressive and he has continued to improve over the years. While his defense has taken a little hit, his offensive numbers continue to stay consistent. McCants may be off on his comments regarding DeRozan considering the numbers tell an entirely different story.
No matter what people think of DeRozan, he has continued to push forward past all the noise. He is one of the more fun players still around the league and with him heading to Sacramento, it gives him his best chance to compete for a title since he was with the Toronto Raptors. We may see an energized DeRozan this coming season, even at 35 years of age.
Read more: Can DeMar DeRozan Finally Win a Championship After Signing with Kings?
About the writer
Matt Levine works as a contributing writer for Newsweek, covering multiple sports. He graduated in 2021 with a Master of ... Read more