On February 24, Beijing time, the final 1/3 of the regular season schedule will continue tomorrow. If you want to choose the biggest dark horse so far this season, the Bulls must be among them. The Bulls are currently in second place in the East, and the team is expected to return to the playoffs after many years, which is inseparable from DeRozan's excellent performance. DeRozan's performance this season is there for all to see, and he has re-proved his worth in the Bulls. However, before the start of the season, there were many people who were not optimistic about him.
Some US media outlets have cited well-known media Bleacher Reports (hereinafter referred to as BR) to list 10 bad signings during the offseason. DeRozan topped the list. BR thought DeRozan averaged 21.6 points and 6.9 assists per game in his final season with the Spurs, and at the age of 32 he had left his peak and gone downhill. The Bulls chose to sign it for 4 years and 85 million, which is obviously not worth it.
Before DeRozan joined the Bulls, the core of the team was Ravin and Vucevic, both of whom were offensive and defensive players. DeRozan has never been a good defender and he will not improve the team's defense. BR believes that deRozan, Lavin and The Ball Brother are difficult to coexist, and all three are players who need the ball, which will further reduce DeRozan's space on the field. BR predicted at the time that the Bulls would improve their record to around 6th in the East at most and perhaps not avoid making it to the playoffs.
However, DeRozan punched BR in the face with his own strength. He averaged 28.1 points per game (league 4th) 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists, a career-high scoring record, and a career-high shooting rate of 51.7 percent, making him a second-best spring in the Bulls, compared to his peak. Under DeRozan's leadership, the team operates at a reasonable pace, attacking and defending, and everyone performs their duties. This is also an important reason why the Bulls can be ranked second in the East and return to the ranks of strong teams. He also hit multiple hits and helped the team survive.
DeRozan also finished third in the All-Star vote, topping out three of the fans, the media and players, ushering in his fifth all-star tour. He has been in the top five of the MVP rankings several times, and if he can lead the Bulls to the top of the East, he is expected to compete for the regular season MVP. DeRozan proved through his own performance on the field that his performance was definitely worth the money. He is now Chicago's new hero.
In addition, BR was also punched in the face by the rest of the players in the top 10. In second place is Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, who has been named to the All-Star team this season, and the Cavaliers are currently in the top 4 in the East. Lowry and Paul, who are ranked 9th and 10th, are currently at the top of the East and West standings. It seems that br predicts the top 10 bad contract extensions this season, which is really a bit bad.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)