Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
DeMar DeRozan – The Next Scoring Champ?
No one in the league has started hotter than DeMar DeRozan. After collecting gold at the Rio Olympics, DeRozan has taken that momentum right into the start of this campaign. He hasn’t missed a beat, and after attempting to dunk on the entire world with his time at team USA, DeMar has truly flown out of the gate helping the Raptors to a 7-2 record.
Toronto currently sits in second place in the East behind the Cavaliers, and although they have an all-star point guard in Kyle Lowry, it was been all about DeRozan to start this season. His scoring has been astonishing, and he has entered some rare NBA company in doing so. DeRozan joined Bernard King, Michael Jordan, World B Free, Marcus Johnson, Rick Barry and Tiny Archibald as the only players in NBA history to start a season with 30+ points in their first 6/7 games. He also became the first player since Michael Jordan (and just the fourth player in 50 years) to score 30+ points eight times in his team’s first nine games of the season.
DeMar has poured in 40 against Detroit, 32 against Cleveland, 33 against Denver, 40 against Washington, 34 against Miami, 23 against Sacramento, 37 against Oklahoma City and 33 against New York en route to averaging an incredible 34 points per game. Additionally, he’s also pulling down 4.8 rebounds, dishing 3.2 assists and registering 1.4 steals per contest. These big scoring hauls haven’t been a product of high volume shooting, his efficiency has also been outstanding. Whilst putting up these scoring numbers, he’s putting the ball through the basket on nearly 53% shooting from the field, and 81% from the free throw line. In a league that shoots way too many three pointers, the most impressive aspect about DeRozan’s scoring so far has been that he’s only attempted 14 threes, and crazily enough, only made 3 of them. This is extraordinary, and really outlines how fantastic he has been to start this season. Averaging 34 points per game without the three point shot is almost unheard of in today’s NBA.
His mid-range game is amongst the best in the league, and his ability to get to the free throw line is the sign of a true scorer. As much as we would love to see it, it’s unlikely DeMar can keep up his scorching 34 points per contest, but even if he does drop off slightly in his averages, it may still be enough to be crowned scoring champion comes seasons end. No one expected this from DeRozan, but it is definitely a welcomed sight. After signing a new deal, it looked as though the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. He’s focused, playing free, and we are seeing the best basketball he’s ever produced within the league. Let’s hope he can continue to dazzle us on the offensive end.
The next scoring champion may be coming out of Canada.
