B/R puzzlingly calls DeMar DeRozan’s Raptors tenure overrated

The Toronto Raptors have gained their perpetual underdog status thanks to a decade of dominance in which they made the playoffs regularly without being as flamboyant as some other contenders. The play of DeMar DeRozan had a lot to do with the consistency that Toronto displayed.

DeRozan’s lethal mid-range game and consistency in the clutch alongside Kyle Lowry is one of the main reasons that Toronto was consistently punching above their weight and taking down some of the best teams in the league. In Canada, the full extent of DeRozan’s legacy is celebrated.

It’s become trendy to call those Raptors teams overrated, as they never won a championship despite putting up numbers that would usually be attached to a champion. Bleacher Report reclaimed the title of “DeRozan Slander King” when they said his Raptors tenure wasn’t as good as many believed.

DeRozan was listed as one of the most overrated players of the last 10 years by Bleacher Report, apparently ignoring the half-decade of success he helped co-pilot with Lowry and instead picking out a select few poor efficiency metrics. If anything, DeRozan remains an underrated player.

Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan was underrated, not overrated.

DeRozan averaged 22.5 points per game between 2012 and 2018, and he did so playing for a defensive head coach and lacking an amazing 3-point shot. While B/R uses his lack of a 3-pointer against him in their “overrated” argument, that didn’t stop him from being effective. Frankly, it makes his numbers more impressive.

He might not be the most efficient shooter in the world, nor was he a regular All-Defensive team presence, but the fact that he is being grouped in with names like every Bradley and Julius Randle on an overrated list is tantamount to spitting in DeRozan’s face.

DeRozan is at or near the top of nearly every Raptors record worth something, as his ability to lead Casey’s attack and establish Toronto as the class of the Eastern Conference was exemplary. Had it not been for LeBron James in his prime going supernova, DeRozan may have ended up getting a ring to slip on his finger.

The Bulls star has a bit of a complicated legacy, as he is one of the most statistically proficient players of the decade that has not even appeared in the NBA Finals. However, to suggest that he’s overrated or to minimize the accomplishments he had in Toronto is simply being unreasonable.