DeMar continues his hot shooting streak during another win over the Chicago Bulls. Shrugging off his three-point woes, DeRozan looks to be one of the most offensively talented players in the league.
The NBA’s worst nightmare is finally here – DeMar DeRozan seems to have found his three-point stroke. The Toronto Raptors are now 15-3 since November 25 after a 124-115 win over the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan led the way with 35 PTS, 3 REBS, 6 ASTS, 3 STLS shooting 50% FG and 62% 3PT.
The Newest Threat beyond the Three-Point Line.
DeMar has worked tirelessly on his three-point shot in the off-season and it seemed to have no effect on the court. He came out to defend himself by saying he doesn’t pay attention to where he shoots on the court.
"“It’s just one of them things. Me, I never really made it a big deal to shoot threes but I’ve never felt like I couldn’t. So my thing is just getting to the spots and treating it like a bucket. I never look at it if I’m behind the line or in front of the line. I just got to score at that moment. Whatever it is I got to be ready for it.”"
As of late, DeRozan has started to show consistency from the three that proves his hard work is paying off. Notably, in the last 3 Raptors games, DeMar has been shooting 57% from the three-point line. He’s made 12 of 21 attempted threes, 5 of which came from a big win over Chicago. In their previous two losses to OKC and the Mavericks, DeRozan made 0 out of 5 attempted threes.
Three games prior to those losses, DeMar made 13 of 20 (65%) attempted threes which were a huge contribution to Toronto’s wins. This shows how much better the Raptors offense can be when DeMar can find his shooting stroke from behind the line.
Shoot your shot DeMar.
The NBA league average for a three-point shot is 36%. DeRozan is now shooting above it at 37%, making this his most efficient 3-Point season. Note his rebounds, assists, and steals are all on the rise lately. If DeMar can remain a threat from deep, the Raptors will have their best chance at making it to the finals. To boot, it’s his best defensive season ever.
DeRozan’s confidence lately has taken his game to another level and he proved it on the court. Every year he seems to get better and more efficient, and adding a three-point shot may just make him the most offensively gifted guards in the league at 6’7″.
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In a previous article I mentioned if Klay Thompson switched placed with the Raptors Guard, their offense would improve from a previous 109.8 to a projected 111.2. Notably, I said if DeMar could attempt more threes a game and be more efficient it would benefit the Raptors offense in a similar way. The Raptors currently have the third-best offense at 111.2.
More is to come from the Raptors guard who seems to have nothing less than “Mamba Mentality“. If he can keep up his shooting in 2018, it will be his, and his team’s, best year ever.
One question remains, Can DeRozan shoot efficiently in the playoffs this year?
That will be the deciding factor if Raptors hope to push past the competition in the East.