With the implementation of the NBA's new rules on players making free throws, it has become less easy for guard players to "touch porcelain", and even James Harden, who has averaged free throws in doubles in the regular season for 6 consecutive seasons, has significantly reduced the number of free throw shots this season; but some people have bucked the trend, costing the league to "touch the porcelain king" at key moments in the season, creating a strong rise of the Bulls and becoming a model of "people moving".
Although Harden has significantly increased the number of free throws in recent times, and the average number of free throws per game in the regular season so far this season has risen to the third most in the league at 8.0, there is still a big gap between Harden's free throw numbers compared with alphabet brothers and Embiid's average of more than 11.0 shots per game. One could argue that the NBA's new rules have made it more difficult for defenders to make free throws, but don't forget that there is another guard who has averaged 8.0 free throws per game this season.
Compared to Harden, DeRozan's average of 8.0 free throw shots per game this season is even more rare. DeRozan, the no. 9 pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, previously averaged 8.7 free throws per game in the regular season in a single season, compared with no more than 7.2 free throws in four consecutive seasons before this season. What's even more ironic is that before the start of the season, many people thought that DeRozan would join the Lakers on a contract with a veteran base salary, when he signed a 3-year, 82 million contract with the Bulls and was considered by many to be a "poison contract".
However, DeRozan's performance this season is obvious to all, he averaged 28.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game with an average of 51.7 minutes per game, ranking third among all players in the league in points per game, and also set a 13-year NBA career single-season record, leading the Bulls to beat the Nets and Bucks to play the first regular season record in the East.
DeRozan, who doesn't shoot much of a three-pointer, seems to be out of step with today's NBA trends, but with a precise mid-range shot, DeRozan still maintains a high scoring efficiency, and he also has the league's top free throw-making ability, which is even more evident at key moments. So far this season, DeRozan has scored the most free throw shots (51) at key moments in the regular season (no more than 5 minutes remaining in the game and no more than 5 points apart between the two teams), and he has maintained a 90.2% free throw percentage during this time! It is worth mentioning that Harden has only 32 free throw shots in this time period.
Last season, the Bulls' regular season win rate was only equal to that of the multi-year Fish Belly King, but this season has been in the top two in the East for a long time, and DeRozan's arrival is key. DeRozan, who can't shoot three-pointers, is not only the "king of the middle pitch" or the "king of touching porcelain", becoming a model of "people moving to live" and becoming a competitor for the MVP in the regular season. Such a player, before the start of this season, there are still many people who think that he will sign with the Lakers with a base salary, which is really ridiculous.