Maybe there is hope for Ben Simmons, after all. DeMar DeRozan, who was once one of the NBA’s most reluctant 3-point pitchers, is finally letting the game fly in his 12th season in the league. It is the last step in your transformation from a one-dimensional scorer to a complete offensive player. This new version of DeRozan, who is still only 31 years old, will be one of the most intriguing free agents on the market this off-season – and perhaps even an attractive target in the negotiation deadline. The talent that made him an All-Star four times has gone nowhere. But now he can join almost any team in the league.
It’s not that DeRozan, who had 19 points and 8 assists by shooting 2 in 6 out of 3 in a victory over the Lakers on Thursday, suddenly became Damian Lillard. He’s taking down 3s in a high percentage this season (42.9), but he’s not trying too many (2.6 per game) and the majority (60 percent) is coming out of the catch. The key is that he is taking them into the flow of the offense. When the ball passes to DeRozan, he does not hold it and then strikes the dribble as he used to. It only fires when opened and forces the defense to protect it all over the floor:
There was never any mechanical reason why DeRozan could not take 3s before. He entered the NBA as a wrecker who depended primarily on his athleticism, but he had long since become a polished scorer with the touch and footwork to drain mid-size jumpers. His sudden urge to catch 3s of catch and shoot is yet another reflection of him embracing a new role in the Spurs’ attack.
He is no longer the dominant player he was when he came to San Antonio three seasons ago. DeRozan is giving 7.1 fewer shots per game (13.8) than his career record, while averaging a better career in assists (7.3 per game) and 10 fewer touches per game than Dejounte Murray. Spurs is acting more like an attack of equal opportunity, with seven players averaging double digits. It is the next step in a process that started in the bubble, when San Antonio started playing in smaller lineups that launched more 3s and performed less isolation. There were times this season when coach Gregg Popovich closed games with DeRozan at 4 and Rudy Gay at 5.
It’s not that DeRozan doesn’t score any more points: he still averages 19.1 points per game with 47.3 percent of shots. But he is mixing getting the bucket with creating games and making better decisions with the ball. DeRozan has the second highest percentage of true pitches (58.5) in his career and a turnover assistance ratio (5.3 to 1) that would make Chris Paul proud. The days when he dribbled the ball to the ground before getting up for a 20-foot run (mostly) are over. He is more unpredictable offensively, entering the lane and taking what the defense gives him. He looks for snipers instead of forcing hard blows:
The Spurs desperately needed DeRozan to change their game. This is a period of transition for a proud franchise emerging from its first missed playoff appearance in 23 seasons. They are no longer a candidate for anything other than the play-in tournament. The goal is to remain competitive and, at the same time, develop a core of younger players. This would not have worked if DeRozan had not taken on a more complementary role in the attack.
San Antonio needs Murray (and Derrick White when he returns from a fractured toe) to execute the attack and find minutes for Lonnie Walker IV, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, the no. 11 design choice, on the wing. The last three are less than 23 years old. White is the oldest of the five, at 26. DeRozan, now an older statesman, needs to set an example for them off the court and, at the same time, create opportunities for them. That means playing more with the ball and sacrificing your body to protect bigger players. He started at 4 on Thursday and defended Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell at times.
Defense is still the big hole in your game. This is a problem, since he is starting alongside another poor defender, LaMarcus Aldridge. And while Aldridge has also expanded his shooting range beyond the 3-point line to suit the modern game, a lineup with these two as his greatest players predictably bleed points across the court. The Murray, Walker, Johnson, DeRozan and Aldridge Spurs’ starting unit has a ridiculous defensive rating of 128.2 in 72 minutes this season. Popovich will probably have to make a change if he wants his team, which is 4-4 with a net rating of -1.4, to make the playoffs. DeRozan has been more effective when paired with a defensive mind center like Jakob Poeltl (plus-7.4 per 100 possessions, in 95 minutes) than Aldridge (minus-13.8 per 100 possessions, in 122 minutes).
The beauty of DeRozan’s decision to embrace the 3 is that he can now fit into a more traditional center like Poeltl. The old version of DeRozan required everyone else to adapt to him in order to succeed. His teams had to find shooting and defending at all other points in the squad while forcing him with the ball forcibly, an act of juggling that put a limit on how far they could advance in the playoffs. Now he can be connected to any team that can protect him in defense.
This flexibility gives him and Spurs many options. If San Antonio gets out of the playoffs this season, it could lead to candidates for young players and future choices. His salary ($ 27.7 million) would fit the commercial exception that Boston acquired for Gordon Hayward. The Celtics could pack someone like Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith and a first-round pick for DeRozan, who would fit well with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. On the other hand, if the Spurs do not want to rebuild completely, they can let Aldridge walk in the off season, reinstate DeRozan and prioritize defense in the center.
It will all come down to what DeRozan wants for the rest of his career. There is nothing he have to do at this point. He is an All-Star four times who has won $ 148 million in the league. He can pursue a ring or a large contract, or find a happy medium between the two. There will be many teams chasing him if he continues to shoot and pass this level. It’s a big change from where he was three seasons ago, when Toronto left him for Kawhi Leonard and he was seen as having one of the worst contracts in the league. DeRozan took the time to change his game. He’s about to be rewarded for that.