DeMar DeRozan will be starting a new life in the city of Chicago when the 2021-22 NBA season commences. For the most part of his career, he stayed with the Toronto Raptors but was traded for Kawhi Leonard in the 2018-19 season. While the Raptors received a lot of backlash for stabbing a loyal player in the back, the decision proved to be fruitful.
The Raptors won the 2019 NBA title and won the first NBA championship in franchise history. For the Raptors, the decision turned out to be a double-edged sword as Leonard left the team after the championship season. Similarly, DeRozan failed to become an NBA All-Star for three consecutive seasons.
Fans might love DeMar, but according to a stat highlighted by Reddit user u/JoeBiden2020FTW, for the last nine seasons when he sits, his teams tend to perform better.
Here are DeRozan's teams' points per 100 possessions over the last nine seasons via CleaningTheGlass
- 2012-13: -1.4
- 2013-14: -1.3
- 2014-15: -1.9
- 2015-16: -5.5
- 2016-17: -7.9
- 2017-18: -1.3
- 2018-19: -5.3
- 2019-20: -4.4
- 2020-21: -4.8
It is quite clear, DeRozan has a negative impact when he is on the court. He is regarded as a top 50 player in the NBA, at least. But he has no winning impact on the teams that he plays for.
Maybe this will change when he plays for the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are looking like one of the solid teams in the Eastern Conference for the upcoming season. They have the likes of Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and DeMar DeRozan playing for them.
After years of struggle, they might finally have an impactful postseason. As for making it to the NBA Finals, that might be a tad bit too much to expect from the Bulls.
Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Atlanta Hawks are the favorites to come out of the East.
The 2021-22 NBA season could be a great start for the Bulls. Who knows, a few years down the line, they might surprise fans and finally make an NBA Finals appearance in over two decades.
The last time they competed on the biggest stage in the league was when Michael Jordan donned a Bulls jersey.
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