We're not talking enough about DeMar DeRozan's Jordan-level scoring start
Raptors guard first since M.J. to score 30 or more in each of his first five games
By
Matt Moore
•
1 min read
DeMar DeRozan is making history for the Toronto Raptors. With his 34-point performance Friday vs. the Heat, DeRozan started the season with five straight 30-point performances. The last player in NBA history to do so was Michael Jordan in the 1986-87 season.
His start has been flat-out incredible.
By comparison, though Jordan scored 197 on 146 shots to DeRozan's 179 points on 127 shots, DeRozan has shot 55 percent, compared to 50 percent for Jordan.
Maybe the most impressive thing about this stretch is DeRozan continues to do it without utilizing the 3-pointer. The absence of a perimeter game continues to be an apparent hole in DeRozan's game, because it's extremely difficult to maintain efficiency without it. But if he continues making shots like this, who cares?
(Note: The Raptors. The Raptors should care. You cannot maintain an efficient offense relying on pull-up mid-range jumpers, no matter how good your star is at them. DeRozan is legitimately top-five at making those shots, but as we've seen in playoff series after playoff series, it becomes harder and harder to cook an offensive meal that wins with those shots as your base ingredient.)
Here's the big takeaway, though. The Raptors aren't winning only because of DeRozan. They have a top-10 defense, and solid contributors throughout the roster. They are a good team that also happens to be getting great contributions from their second-best player. It's really fun to watch, and when DeRozan tails off, and he will, Toronto will still have more than enough to maintain a good pace. DeRozan is a great addition when he's on fire, and an exciting watch, but the Raptors aren't dependent on him doing it all.
Plus, it allows Raptors players, coaches, fans and media to continue to complain about him being underrated, and they kind of have a point. If Kobe Bryant last season, or Damian Lillard or Klay Thompson this season had this kind of streak going, there would be a whole lot more made of it. So why not recognize how individually awesome DeRozan has been for a team with just one loss?
