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Toronto Raptors season report cards: Grades for each Individual

By Jordan Skuse

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors speaks to the media after Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Wizards during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors speaks to the media after Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Wizards during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MAY 8 – Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
MAY 8 – Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan enjoyed the best regular season of his career. From the beginning, he appeared much more willing to share the ball and trust his teammates. Per 100 possessions, he tallied 7.6 assists – the highest mark of his career. DeRozan’s appetite for help on the offensive side of things was a big question mark heading into 2017-18, and he most certainly didn’t disappoint.

Furthermore, we saw him dabble from three-point land more this season, averaging 3.6 attempts per game – compared to 1.7 a season ago. He remains far from a finished product from beyond the arc but seeing him more willing to take them suggests he’s aware of how critical they remain to the process of perpetual improvement – a process DeRozan is plenty familiar with.

The playoffs, however, went from good to bad for the kid from Compton. Brilliant for most of the Washington series, the wheels came off for DeRozan in Games 3 & 4 of the Cleveland series, culminating with him being ejected from the final game. A flagrant foul was assessed to him for a hit to the head of Jordan Clarkson. The call was perhaps a bit harsh but at that point, who really cares? The season was all but over.

Heading into this off-season, the main area of improvement for DeRozan must be on the defensive side of the ball. He shows glimpses of defensive prowess. Glimpses. As fans, watching your team’s best player mail it in on defense leads to major resentment. A player of his skill level (not to mention contract) must be a more willing and consistent contributor on defense.

A brilliant regular season tainted by yet another playoff failure, including a fourth-quarter benching in Game 3 versus King and Co., DeRozan’s season mirrored that of his team. But you can’t look past what he did in the regular season – he was, at one point, a for argument’s sake MVP candidate.

Casey is out – it marks the beginning of a new era in Raptors basketball. Whether DeMar DeRozan sticks around remains to be seen but either way, he’s been a model player and citizen his entire time in Toronto.

GRADE: A- (C+ in the playoffs)

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