DeRozan Showing That Midrange Is Still King

[Full Court]

He's gotten 30 or more 8 games in a row, while leading his team to a 6-2 record over those 8 games.

Despite the Bulls being plagued by injuries the entire season, he's still leading his team at top seed in the East.

He's in the conversation for MVP, and he's done it almost exclusively by dominating the midrange and looking unstoppable doing it.

What it demonstrates though, is that the Bulls are just playing solid, fundamental basketball, creating openings for good midrange shots.

This is how you win games, kids.

[Mr. Woke]

This is close to an outlier season for him lol.

If he is so great how come he has only made the All-NBA Second Team once and has never made the All-NBA First Team (unlike Harden who has made the First Team six times)?

Hell, I would still take Harden over DeRozan right now.

[Full Court]

This is close to an outlier season for him lol.

If he is so great how come he has only made the All-NBA Second Team once and has never made the All-NBA First Team (unlike Harden who has made the First Team six times)?

Hell, I would still take Harden over DeRozan right now.

He's simply playing better this year than he ever has before. I'm talking about DeRozan this year, not any other year.

Replace him with Harden, and the Bulls wouldn't even be sniffing first place.

[Mr. Woke]

He's simply playing better this year than he ever has before. I'm talking about DeRozan this year, not any other year.

Replace him with Harden, and the Bulls wouldn't even be sniffing first place.

The Bulls have better role players than the Nets.

DeMar is playing great, but not as great as other players.

[Spurs m8]

He's simply playing better this year than he ever has before. I'm talking about DeRozan this year, not any other year.

Replace him with Harden, and the Bulls wouldn't even be sniffing first place.

Its weird people can't understand simple things like maybe he's playing better than he ever has lmfao

Hes putting these numbers up while also getting wins....sitting on top of the blood bath East.

Maybe bron can call him and get some pointers, on how to achieve stats that mean something and don't kill your team

[Mr. Woke]

Its weird people can't understand simple things like maybe he's playing better than he ever has lmfao

Hes putting these numbers up while also getting wins....sitting on top of the blood bath East.

Maybe bron can call him and get some pointers, on how to achieve stats that mean something and don't kill your team

Good one lol :roll:

If DeMar is so great, how come he has only made the All-NBA Second Team once and has never made an All-NBA First Team?

He is simply not in the same stratosphere as LeBron. Even if DeMar had gotten pointers from LeBron on how to be a winning player and how to put up great stats (on a consistent basis, over multiple seasons), DeMar still wouldn't be half the player that LeBron is. That is because DeMar simply doesn't have that level of greatness inside him.

[ImKobe]

He now has the longest streak of 35+ pt 50+%FG games in NBA history (7).

[Bawkish]

Good one lol :roll:

If DeMar is so great, how come he has only made the All-NBA Second Team once and has never made an All-NBA First Team?

He is simply not in the same stratosphere as LeBron. Even if DeMar had gotten pointers from LeBron on how to be a winning player and how to put up great stats (on a consistent basis, over multiple seasons), DeMar still wouldn't be half the player that LeBron is. That is because DeMar simply doesn't have that level of greatness inside him.

this dude didn't read the one he's replying to :lol

[imdaman99]

Yeahhhhh I think I'll wait to see how he does in the playoffs first

[2much_knowledge]

Good one lol :roll:

If DeMar is so great, how come he has only made the All-NBA Second Team once and has never made an All-NBA First Team?

He is simply not in the same stratosphere as LeBron. Even if DeMar had gotten pointers from LeBron on how to be a winning player and how to put up great stats (on a consistent basis, over multiple seasons), DeMar still wouldn't be half the player that LeBron is. That is because DeMar simply doesn't have that level of greatness inside him.

God you are slow. Like all lebron fanboys.

[TheGoatest]

Imagine slaying this beast in the playoffs.

Not once. :rockon:
Not twice. :applause:
But thrice! :eek:

[Bawkish]

Imagine slaying this beast in the playoffs.

Not once. :rockon:
Not twice. :applause:
But thrice! :eek:

Lebron's greatest accomplishment: slaying the Beast Raptors of Derozan & Lowry :applause:

[Full Court]

Lebron's greatest accomplishment: slaying the Beast Raptors of Derozan & Lowry :applause:

True. That's even a better accomplishment than leading a super team below .500.

[TheGoatest]

Lebron's greatest accomplishment: slaying the Beast Raptors of Derozan & Lowry :applause:

Nah, that would still be beating a 73-9 team in the finals while leading both teams in all categories, which has never been done in any other playoff let alone finals series.
But beating Hall of Famers DeRozan and Lowry in their primes three straight playoffs is one hell of an accomplishment as well.

[Full Court]

Nah, that would still be beating a 73-9 team in the finals while leading both teams in all categories, which has never been done in any other playoff let alone finals series.
But beating Hall of Famers DeRozan and Lowry in their primes three straight playoffs is one hell of an accomplishment as well.

Things have sure flipped 180 degrees with DeRozan and Lebum now.

One at the top of his conference...

The other leading a super team to below .500.

You should keep clinging to 6 years ago though. It's good for you.

[TheGoatest]

Things have sure flipped 180 degrees with DeRozan and Lebum now.

One at the top of his conference...

The other leading a super team to below .500.

You should keep clinging to 6 years ago though. It's good for you.

You and your alts keep clinging to 30 years ago. :oldlol:
As well as DeRozan has been playing LeBron, even at the age of 37 in his 19th season, is averaging:

More points on a higher fg%
More rebounds
More assists
More steals
More blocks

Which is more than can be said for Wizards Jordan in a comparison with contemporary Jerry Stackhouse. :roll:

[ImKobe]

You and your alts keep clinging to 30 years ago. :oldlol:
As well as DeRozan has been playing LeBron, even at the age of 37 in his 19th season, is averaging:

More points on a higher fg%
More rebounds
More assists
More steals
More blocks

Which is more than can be said for Wizards Jordan in a comparison with contemporary Jerry Stackhouse. :roll:

You're really comparing stats from this era (where 3 players might finish with a 32+ PER) to the toughest defensive era in NBA history? And Jordan was 39 to Lebron's 37 and had not trained/played for damn near 3 years.

[Johnny32]

i'm surprised he recovered from what legoat did to that poor man year after year.

[Johnny32]

You're really comparing stats from this era (where 3 players might finish with a 32+ PER) to the toughest defensive era in NBA history? And Jordan was 39 to Lebron's 37 and had not trained/played for damn near 3 years.

mj was 38 to start the season and had 10,000+ less mins on his body.

[ImKobe]

mj was 38 to start the season and had 10,000+ less mins on his body.

He had not played and trained/conditioned to play ball for at least 2 years. He's still aging without playing. He had bad knees and almost cut off one of his fingers after the '98 season as well, which was a significant factor in him actually not coming back in '99 as he was unable to palm a basketball or pick up his dribble like he used to.

But hey, context doesn't matter. Heck, he came back and was averaging 25 a game (which was on par with Kobe/Pierce/T-Mac/Vince) with the Wizards well in contention for the the POs in '02 before his knee injury. They were 28 - 24 with him on the court prior to the game he got injured in. Wizards were 7 - 15 without him and he could only play 20 minutes a game once he did return and it tanked his averages.

[TheGoatest]

You're really comparing stats from this era (where 3 players might finish with a 32+ PER) to the toughest defensive era in NBA history? And Jordan was 39 to Lebron's 37 and had not trained/played for damn near 3 years.

Yes, I know that Jordan had way less mileage on his body and that the comparison is not entirely fair to LeBron. But even disregarding that obvious Jordan advantage, Jordan was still way worse.
And if the early 2000s were the toughest defensive era ever, just imagine how crazy good a 18 year-old straight out of high-school player must've been to average 21, 6 and 6 in his very first season in the NBA and then follow it up with a 27-7-7 season at the age of 19-20 the next season. :eek: :applause:

[theman93]

mj was 38 to start the season and had 10,000+ less mins on his body.
MJ also had 3 years of nicotine and alcohol poisoning on his body which is much harsher than 10,000 minutes.

[Johnny32]

He had not played and trained/conditioned to play ball for at least 2 years. He's still aging without playing. He had bad knees and almost cut off one of his fingers after the '98 season as well, which was a significant factor in him actually not coming back in '99 as he was unable to palm a basketball or pick up his dribble like he used to.

But hey, context doesn't matter. Heck, he came back and was averaging 25 a game (which was on par with Kobe/Pierce/T-Mac/Vince) with the Wizards well in contention for the the POs in '02 before his knee injury. They were 28 - 24 with him on the court prior to the game he got injured in. Wizards were 7 - 15 without him and he could only play 20 minutes a game once he did return and it tanked his averages.

lol he was training and conditioning all summer to come back. the rest of your post is pathetic excuses.

[ImKobe]

lol he was training and conditioning all summer to come back. the rest of your post is pathetic excuses.

After not playing/conditioning for over 2 years and being 38 years old.. and he was still on par with all the best perimeter scorers in the league at 38/39 prior to his knee injury.

[Akeem34TheDream]

Nah, that would still be beating a 73-9 team in the finals while leading both teams in all categories, which has never been done in any other playoff let alone finals series.
But beating Hall of Famers DeRozan and Lowry in their primes three straight playoffs is one hell of an accomplishment as well.

I thought it was 4 Allstar 60 win Hawks, no?

[j3lademaster]

It's sad you can't just appreciate a player that isn't Jordan/Lebron/Kobe without at least one of their names coming up and derailing the thread. Derozan is shooting an astonishing 55% from 10-16 feet, NBA better recognize. He needs to prove himself come playoff time, though.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Rich mans Jordan an afterthought in MVP race during peak year

That's how I would've phrased this thread.


Take notes

[Goldrush25]

The only way mid-range is "king" is if you can make them at 1 or more standard deviations above the NBA average. There's a few players in the league that can do that, we're talking Kevin Durant, Lamarcus Aldridge, Kawhi, CP3. Most players would be better served by shooting closer. It's only a bad shot if you don't make it at a high enough percentage.

[FireDavidKahn]

People always misunderstood the recent "take a 3 or a lay up"

The issue is that so few players are actually good at shooting mid range that taking 3's at a slightly lower percentage overall I'd a better choice.

The players who are elite mid range shooters never stopped because.... They are actually good at it.

[Manny98]

Nets have the top 4 most efficient mid range shooters in the NBA + Kyrie

https://i.postimg.cc/5NskCRpy/Screenshot-20220217-193956.jpg

[Phoenix]

Hell, I would still take Harden over DeRozan right now.

Sure, if you wanted the Bulls to be worse than they are. Harden's game relative to a couple years ago fell off a cliff with the rule changes this year ( or we still clinging to the 'hamstring injury' excuse)?

[Mr. Woke]

Sure, if you wanted the Bulls to be worse than they are. Harden's game relative to a couple years ago fell off a cliff with the rule changes this year ( or we still clinging to the 'hamstring injury' excuse)?

DeMar's recent play is a mirage.

If he is so great how come he has never made the All-NBA First Team?

Meanwhile, Harden has made the All-NBA First Team six times.

[Full Court]

DeMar's recent play is a mirage.

If he is so great how come he has never made the All-NBA First Team?

Meanwhile, Harden has made the All-NBA First Team six times.

Regardless of previous chokes, why is it so difficult to admit that he's having a stellar year?

[Full Court]

You and your alts keep clinging to 30 years ago. :oldlol:
As well as DeRozan has been playing LeBron, even at the age of 37 in his 19th season, is averaging:

More points on a higher fg%
More rebounds
More assists
More steals
More blocks

Which is more than can be said for Wizards Jordan in a comparison with contemporary Jerry Stackhouse. :roll:

GoatTits is far to low of IQ to grasp that at this point in their careers, DeRozan has far more impact on the court than defensive liability Brony does. And DeRozan's a mediocre defender himself.

[Cali Syndicate]

Yes, I know that Jordan had way less mileage on his body and that the comparison is not entirely fair to LeBron. But even disregarding that obvious Jordan advantage, Jordan was still way worse.
And if the early 2000s were the toughest defensive era ever, just imagine how crazy good a 18 year-old straight out of high-school player must've been to average 21, 6 and 6 in his very first season in the NBA and then follow it up with a 27-7-7 season at the age of 19-20 the next season. :eek: :applause:

Except the nba basically began to relax the hand checking rules starting in the 03-04 season, lebrons rookie year, so lebron basically began his career in the non hand checking Era.

Lebron's longevity is unmatched though. He's a genetic freak of nature, but also lives in an era where sports medicine is at the best its ever been.

[StrongLurk]

Demar deserves big props. He was an underperformer for a long time, but kept grinding and got a lot better during his time with the Spurs (somehow the Spurs always develop star talents well). He also has gone through a lot in live and is a big advocate for mental health which is great to see. I hope he can keep playing at this level on the Bulls, they are an exciting team

[Phoenix]

DeMar's recent play is a mirage.

If he is so great how come he has never made the All-NBA First Team?

Meanwhile, Harden has made the All-NBA First Team six times.

You keep making the same dumb point. Stay with me. It's 2022. What Derozan didn't do as far as accolades prior to this year has no bearing on the here and now. We're talking about today. Right now. While you're typing out your response to this? Yeah, that right now. And right now.....you with me on what I mean when I say right now, yeah?.....Derozan is playing better than Harden and switching the two would likely result in a worse Bulls squad. The fact that Harden over the course of his career is a more accomplished player means sweet fukk all to right now, but let me know if I haven't made it clear enough what I mean by right now.

Now whether it's a mirage or not is yet to be determined. But what we know about Harden is his regular season play is usually a mirage, because more often than not he's demonstrably worse in the playoffs.

[Full Court]

You keep making the same dumb point. Stay with me. It's 2022. What Derozan didn't do as far as accolades prior to this year has no bearing on the here and now. We're talking about today. Right now. While you're typing out your response to this? Yeah, that right now. And right now.....you with me on what I mean when I say right now, yeah?.....Derozan is playing better than Harden and switching the two would likely result in a worse Bulls squad. The fact that Harden over the course of his career is a more accomplished player means sweet fukk all to right now, but let me know if I haven't made it clear enough what I mean by right now.

Now whether it's a mirage or not is yet to be determined. But what we know about Harden is his regular season play is usually a mirage, because more often than not he's demonstrably worse in the playoffs.

Great take, and spot on. :applause:

Wokey's stuck on stupid again.

[Johnny32]

Except the nba basically began to relax the hand checking rules starting in the 03-04 season

fat boy has no clue what he's typing about.

[Chuckbe]

Means nothing unless he does it in the playoffs which he won't.

[Full Court]

Means nothing unless he does it in the playoffs which he won't.

True, it means nothing unless he does it in the playoffs.

Whether he will or won't remains to be seen.

[Mr. Woke]

You keep making the same dumb point. Stay with me. It's 2022. What Derozan didn't do as far as accolades prior to this year has no bearing on the here and now. We're talking about today. Right now. While you're typing out your response to this? Yeah, that right now. And right now.....you with me on what I mean when I say right now, yeah?.....Derozan is playing better than Harden and switching the two would likely result in a worse Bulls squad. The fact that Harden over the course of his career is a more accomplished player means sweet fukk all to right now, but let me know if I haven't made it clear enough what I mean by right now.

Now whether it's a mirage or not is yet to be determined. But what we know about Harden is his regular season play is usually a mirage, because more often than not he's demonstrably worse in the playoffs.

DeMar is a worse playoff performer than Harden lol.

Harden over DeFrozen any day of the week babe.

[GimmeThat]

makes you wonder what happens if you put Jason Richardson in todays league

[Phoenix]

DeMar is a worse playoff performer than Harden lol.

Harden over DeFrozen any day of the week babe.

2022 Derozan> 2022 Harden 'babe'. What does 'right now' mean to you, 2 years ago?

Harden's a bigger playoff failure than Derozan precisely because the former has higher expectations and rarely hits them in the playoffs.

[GimmeThat]

Harden's a bigger playoff failure than Derozan precisely because the former has higher expectations and rarely hits them in the playoffs.

so you consider Harden a failure, yet you somehow fit in the narrative that there's a higher expectation for him when it benefits you. :confusedshrug:

[Phoenix]

so you consider Harden a failure, yet you somehow fit in the narrative that there's a higher expectation for him when it benefits you. :confusedshrug:

Why would making that point 'benefit me' :confusedshrug:? I don't give a fukk about either player. Yes, relatively speaking Harden is a bigger playoff failure because he's a championship or bust level talent. Has Derozan done anything in the playoffs? No, but he's never been at the point of having 'championship or bust' level expectations. Nobody is saying, if he never won a title, that Derozan would be on the list of all timers to never win; Harden obviously would be and he's had some massive drop-offs from regular season to playoffs. Don't see why that's a 'narrative' to feel that the player with the higher level of expectation is the bigger 'failure' over someone who doesn't have the same expectations. Derozan is the level of talent that isn't likely to lead a team past the 2nd round, so why would him losing in the 2nd round( and to Lebron of all people) be considered a failure? That's about the best ( at least in prior years) Derozan should be doing.

To the main point, based on CURRENT level of play I think Derozan is better. At the least he's had a markedly better season, that's not even up for debate. Now will that carry into the playoffs? Who knows, but it's not like Harden has demonstrated a level of playoff excellence over his career to puff your chest out about.