DeMar DeRozan has been a stellar player for the Chicago Bulls thus far in the season. He is currently putting up 26.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 4.6 APG this season, and he is also shooting a career-high 37.3% from beyond the arc. Many have already stated that this is the best season of his career.
Brian Scalabrine has recently claimed that DeMar DeRozan should get "serious consideration" for the Most Improved Player award. It seems as though the reasoning for this was that he made a jump from being an All-Star caliber player to becoming an MVP candidate.
Brian Scalabrine: Two things happened last year. His assist numbers went through the roof with San Antonio. I just think right now, he just has a much better feel for the game. At one point he averaged 1.8 assists and the following year 2.2 assists? I think last year he averaged 7.0 assists a game. He's becoming like this guy you can put the ball in his hands and he can make plays for you.
Now he has these guys around him. They got the perfect team around him... I don't know if he'll get Most Improved, but there should be some serious consideration for him getting most improved.
Frank Isola: The guy went from being an All-Star caliber player to being an MVP candidate. If that happened to Julius Randle last year, why can't that happen to DeMar DeRozan.
The Chicago Bulls are currently the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and many have claimed that they are a real contender for the 2021-22 NBA championship. There is no question that DeMar DeRozan has been a crucial part of making that happen, and he's certainly a deserving MVP candidate.
We'll see if DeMar DeRozan is capable of keeping up that level of play for the rest of the season, but it definitely feels as though his improvement isn't just the result of a hot streak. While he may not actually end up getting the Most Improved Player award, DeMar DeRozan has certainly taken a jump and is producing at a high level.
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