The fans have seen the on-the-court DeMar DeRozan this season.
The calmness in frenzied moments, the ridiculous game winners, the 26.4 points per game, and the play-making.
That’s why the Bulls veteran was an easy vote to be a starter in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game next month in Cleveland. That announcement was made official on Thursday.
It will be his fifth All-Star appearance, and his first since the 2017-18 season when he was still with the Toronto Raptors.
All well and good, but there’s a reason the Bulls players see him more than just an All-Star. They see what DeRozan has done in his first season with the franchise as MVP-type stuff.
“He’s meant a lot to this team in a lot of different ways,’’ center Nikola Vucevic said of DeRozan’s first half. “Obviously the way he’s playing, it’s a given, everybody has seen that. The leadership he’s brought, the experience he’s brought, and also the confidence we have when he’s on the court with us, especially at the end of games, we know he’s a guy we can go to.
“With young guys, you have a player like him who has been through a lot of playoff games, a lot of experience, big wins, tough losses, things like that, we rely on him. Also, he just has a great demeanor about him and I think that rubs off very positively on the team. His game, his play all year long has been amazing. I think arguably this could be one of his best years in the NBA, so for sure he deserves to be a starter [in the All-Star game].’’
There was an argument to be made that DeRozan should have had a plus-one with him, and that could still be the case next week when the All-Star reserves are selected. But for now Zach LaVine will remain in a holding pattern, awaiting to find out if he will be an All-Star for a second-consecutive season.
LaVine was beat out by Atlanta’s Trae Young.
