2016-17 Toronto Raptors season review: DeMar DeRozan

In the first installment of a series, we analyse every player on the Raptors roster to determine how well they performed. We start off with DeMar DeRozan.

Becoming the third-highest paid player in the NBA naturally comes with an expectation of performance at a transcendent level. Fans and experts alike expected DeRozan to take the next step forward and establish himself and the Raptors as real contenders in the eastern conference. In some ways DeRozan both under- and over-achieved during the 2016-17 NBA season. What you think of DeRozan depends on the weight you place on the following three factors; how well DeRozan individually played, regular season and playoff performances.

Feb 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Eastern Conference guard DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors (10) goes up for a dunk during the NBA All Star Game at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

DeRozan had a good year

A very credible argument could be made that DeRozan had the greatest season by a Toronto Raptor player ever. DeRozan had a career year in scoring averaging 27.3 points a game for the season, compared to the previous season where he averaged 23.5 points a season. This propelled DeRozan into a top 5 scorer in the league which was the first time he had achieved that honour. What made this achievement so significant was that DeRozan was the only Top 5 scorer to shoot worse than 30% (26.6%) from three-point range. His midrange prowess is at odds with an era where it is almost frowned upon to shoot fade away jumpers and free throw line floaters.

Almost as impressive as his scoring was the leadership ability he showed during the absence of Kyle Lowry in a crucial stretch as the Raptors jockeyed for playoff position. When teams lose their primary ballhandler and their best player (I am still of the opinion that Lowry is the best player for the Raptors) they tend to fall apart as the second-best player gets doubled teamed. In previous years this might have worked but we saw a more mature and thoughtful DeRozan who understood what to do in those situations.

After a bitter loss to the Clippers earlier in the season he told NBC Los Angeles

“I’m looking to make the extra pass, move the ball, and I understand that teams are going to collapse on me a little bit more and it’s up to me to get everyone else involved”.

While the box score may not represent a significant increase in assists, a simple eye ball test showed that DeMar was able to recognize when to make the right pass and when to be aggressive attacking the basket.

Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) sits on the court after being knocked over by the Milwaukee Bucks in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

DeRozan and Playoff disappointments

It has almost become a recurring nightmare that DeRozan fails to show up during the playoffs. His style of game is easily stopped and midrange jumpers are harder to knock down when contested by one or more defenders. DeRozan and underwhelming playoff performances have almost become synonymous as he goes from averaging 27 points a game on 47% to 23 points a game on 43% shooting.

DeRozan struggled particularly against Milwaukee as the Bucks held him in game 3 to 8 points as he went 0-8 from the floor. That’s only the third time since 2010 that a team managed to hold DeRozan to zero baskets. DeRozan needs to update his game and bring it to the 21^st century as his three-point shooting took another collapse this season. DeRozan shot a passable 34% from three-point range in 2015-16 season but this decreased to 27% in the 2016-17 season. This is unacceptable for a shooting guard on a playoff team to shoot so poorly from three and something that needs to be addressed or DeRozan will continue to struggle as his offense will remain one-dimensional.

Grade for the season

To be fair to DeRozan, he had a breakout year for Toronto and this should be recognised as a major achievement. DeRozan was an all-star again this season as well as making the All-NBA third team. DeRozan is only the fourth player in team history to receive this distinguished honour, he joins Vince Carter, Chris Bosh and Kyle Lowry in this exclusive roll-call. However, his playoff struggles need to be recognised and if he is to take that next step forward in his career then he needs to bring the same ability from the regular season to the playoffs.

Overall, I give DeRozan an A for the 2016-17 NBA season. What do you guys think about this grade? Am I being too lenient on DeRozan? Let me know below Rapture Nation.

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