Raptors Rapture
Fansided

Toronto Raptors: Ranking every contract from best to worst

By Vimal Sivakumar

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - 2017/09/22: The entrance of the Air Canada Centre. There is sunlight reflecting from the glass. The famous place will be renamed starting on January 2018. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - 2017/09/22: The entrance of the Air Canada Centre. There is sunlight reflecting from the glass. The famous place will be renamed starting on January 2018. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 11
Next
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 29: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors goes to the basket past Nicolas Batum #5 of the Charlotte Hornets during NBA game action at Air Canada Centre on March 29, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. 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. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 29: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors goes to the basket past Nicolas Batum #5 of the Charlotte Hornets during NBA game action at Air Canada Centre on March 29, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. 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. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

7. DeMar DeRozan

Contract: 2 years + 1 (Player Option) — $27.7M (18/19), $27.7M (19/20), $27.7M (20/21)

Be Like…

Mike

. Kobe.

While many NBA players loved Michael Jordan, DeMar DeRozan idolized Kobe Bryant. Accordingly, DeMar clearly tries to emulate Kobe and, at least offensively, DeRozan has arguably done a decent job at that.

Defensively, on the other hand, DeMar lacks a lot that Kobe had to offer.

Statistically, DeMar has been improving his defensive rating annually — going from 112.0 to 102.4 over his career. Accordingly, DeMar is providing solid regular season defensive value to the Toronto Raptors, along with his usually stellar offense (no fewer than 16.7 points per game after his rookie year, according to stats.nba.com).

That said, defensively, DeRozan still has nothing on Kobe, who kept his defensive rating under 102 for 9 of his 20 NBA seasons.

Although the juxtaposition to an NBA great is unfair, the comparison illustrates something important…

DeMar is an offensive star and improving regular season defender, providing great value for Toronto during those 82 games. In fact, here is where DeMar ranked in the 17/18 regular season (min. 41 games played and 20 minutes per game, via stats.nba.com):

In short, these are numbers that display great regular season value for the Toronto Raptors.

Why below Wright

DeMar has taken the 7th spot on this list is largely, though, due to his playoff production. Similar to Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka (later in this list), DeRozan should be one of Toronto’s key playoff performers.

This postseason , among players with at least 10 games played and 20 minutes per game, DeMar had the NBA’s 2nd worst defensive rating and only the 27th-ranked offensive rating (via stats.nba.com).

As the NBA’s 10th highest paid player, and someone who now has a solid amount of experience in this league, DeMar needs to perform better when it matters most.

At only 28, DeMar can still prove himself as a star in the playoffs, like he is every regular season. However, at this moment, DeRozan takes up 21.74% of Toronto’s cap and is signed for 2 more guaranteed seasons plus a $27.7M player option.

Overall, with his lack of consistent playoff production, it is hard to currently justify the financial value in DeMar’s contract. The regular season production is great, but without the postseason production to match, it reigns hallow.

Home/Raptors News