Maybe there is hope for Ben Simmons after all. DeMar DeRozan, who was one of the most reluctant three-point shooters in the NBA, finally let it fly from deep into his 12th season in the league. This is the final step in his transformation from a one-dimensional scorer to a well-rounded attacking player. This new version of DeRozan, which is only 31, will be one of the most intriguing free agencies on the market during the off-season – and perhaps even an attractive target on the deadline. The talent that made him a four-time All-Star came nowhere. But now he can fit into almost any team in the league.
It’s not that DeRozan, who had 19 points and 8 assists on Thursday when he shot 2-for-6 of 3 in an upset victory over the Lakers on Thursday, suddenly became Damian Lillard. He has averaged a high percentage of 3rds (42.9) this season, but he is not trying to catch that many (2.6 per game) and most (60 percent). The key is that he takes them in the course of the transgression. If the ball swings to DeRozan, he does not hold it and then attacks the dribble as before. He just shoots open and forces the defense to guard him all over the floor:
There was never a mechanical reason why DeRozan could not take 3s. He entered the NBA as a trigger that depended primarily on his athletics, but has long since become a polished goal scorer with the touch and footwork to tap mid-range jumpers. His sudden willingness to take catch-and-shoot 3s is more a reflection of the fact that he is taking on a new role in the Spurs’ attack.
He is no longer the ball-dominant player he used to be when he came to San Antonio three seasons ago. DeRozan takes 7.1 fewer shots per game (13.8) as his career high, while he has an average career best in assists (7.3 per game) and 10 fewer touches per game than Dejounte Murray. The Spurs have an equal-opportunity offense, with seven players averaging double-digits. This is the next step in a process that began in the bubble, when San Antonio started playing smaller setups that launched more 3s and had fewer isolations. It was sometimes this season that coach Gregg Popovich closed out games with DeRozan at 4 and Rudy Gay at 5.
It’s not that DeRozan is not scoring more points: he still scores 19.1 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting. But he mixes bucket and playmaking and makes better decisions with the ball. DeRozan has the second-highest shooting percentage (58.5) of his career and an aid-to-turnover ratio (5.3 to 1) that will make Chris Paul even proud. The days of dropping the ball into the ground before standing up for a pedestrian are (mostly) over. He is more unpredictably offensive, goes into the lane and then takes everything the defense gives him. He is looking for shooters rather than forcing difficult blows:
The Spurs desperately needed DeRozan to change his game. It’s a transition period for a proud franchise showing its first missed playoff game in 23 seasons. They are no longer a competitor for anything other than the playoffs. The goal is to stay competitive while also developing a core of younger players. It would not work if DeRozan did not accept a complementary role in the offense.
San Antonio needs Murray (and Derrick White if he comes back from a broken tone) to carry out the offense, and to find minutes for Lonnie Walker IV, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, the no. 11 select in the draft, on the wing. The latter three are all under 23 years old. White is the oldest of the five at 26. DeRozan, now an older statesman, must set an example for them in court while creating opportunities for it. That means playing more off the ball and sacrificing his body to protect bigger players. He started at 4 on Thursday and sometimes defended Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell.
Defense is still the big hole in his game. This is a problem as he starts next to another weak defender in LaMarcus Aldridge. And while Aldridge also extended his shooting range beyond the 3-point line to fit the modern game, a series with those two, as his biggest players predictably blossomed points on the other side of the floor. The Spurs’ starting lineup of Murray, Walker, Johnson, DeRozan and Aldridge has a ridiculous defensive rating of 128.2 in 72 minutes this season. Popovich will probably have to make a change if he wants his team, which is 4-4 with a net score of minus 1.4, to make the playoffs. DeRozan was more effective when he was linked with a defensive center like Jacob Poeltl (plus -7.4 per 100 possessions, in 95 minutes) than Aldridge (minus -13.8 per 100 possessions, in 122 minutes).
The beauty of DeRozan’s decision to accept the 3 is that he can now fit into a more traditional center like Poeltl. The old version of DeRozan required everyone else around him to pass to succeed. His teams had to shoot and find defense everywhere else in the set-up as they forced him the ball, a juggling act that placed a ceiling on how far they could progress in the playoffs. Now he can be plugged into any group that can protect him from the defense.
That flexibility offers him as well as the Spurs many options. If San Antonio falls outside the playoffs this season, it could appeal to young players and future picks. His salary that expired ($ 27.7 million) would fit in with the trade exception that Boston acquired for Gordon Hayward. The Celtics could pack someone like Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith and a first choice for DeRozan, who will fit well alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Conversely, if the Spurs do not want to fully rebuild, they could let Aldridge run in the off-season, re-sign DeRozan and prioritize the defense in the middle.
That would amount to what DeRozan wants with the rest of his career. There’s nothing he can do has to do at this point. He is a four-time All-Star who has already earned $ 148 million in the league. He can chase a ring or a big contract, or find a happy medium between the two. There will be many teams chasing him if he can keep shooting and succeeding at this level. It was a big change from where he was three seasons ago, when Toronto traded him for Kawhi Leonard and he is considered one of the worst contracts in the league. DeRozan took the time to change his game. He is about to be rewarded for it.