It’s uncommon for a player to peak in his second decade in the NBA. But at 32, DeMar DeRozan is redefining what’s possible for himself on the basketball court.
DeRozan achieved plenty of firsts in his 13th season — a career-best 10-game streak in February of scoring more than 30 points and his highest scoring average as a pro. As he leads the Chicago Bulls into the first round of the NBA playoffs against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks beginning Sunday, DeRozan doesn’t want his success to be defined by his age.
“It’s crazy. I watch games these days and I see guys that are 28, 29, and the analysts say, ‘You know, he’s an older guy now.’” DeRozan said. “And it’s like, what’s old? Being 30, 31, 32, that’s not old to me.”
DeRozan scored 27.9 points per game in his first season in Chicago, a 6.3-point leap from 2020-21 in San Antonio. DeRozan excelled in the fourth quarters of games, becoming the first player in NBA history to hit a winning 3-pointer on back-to-back nights, defying odds even when the Bulls were down to a bare-bones roster.
At times, his Bulls teammates joined fans in amazement at the way DeRozan pushed the limits of his production.
“To be able to do it after so many years, to continue to find ways to get better, it’s not easy,” center Nikola Vučević said. “Not many players will continue to do that at that level. Especially after people wrote him off the past few years, to come back and show that he’s nowhere near done is very impressive.”
Three underwhelming seasons in San Antonio painted DeRozan as a faded star. He shattered that perception this season.
DeRozan earned All-Star honors for the fifth time and won Eastern Conference Player of the Month on the heels of breaking a Wilt Chamberlain record. Fans chanted “MVP” every time he toed the free-throw line at the United Center. Opponents began to double-team DeRozan the moment he crossed half court.
Now, the rest of the league knows DeRozan is far from fading away. The Bulls need him to deliver in the postseason.
“He’s the type of guy who drives these kind of moments,” center Tristan Thompson said. “We’re going to need him to be the Hall of Famer that he is.”
In his seventh trip to the playoffs, DeRozan knows how to balance intensity with calm as he approaches higher-stakes games. Rookie Ayo Dosunmu said the shift was subtle, a honing of his focus in film sessions and practices during the weeklong buildup to Game 1.
But his teammates say Playoff DeMar is still the same version of the teammate they’ve seen every day throughout the season.
“That’s one thing about DeMar — his demeanor never changes,” Caruso said. “He’s always got this stoic presence about him that just oozes confidence. The other guys who are young and haven’t been in these experiences, haven’t been in these opportunities, can see what it’s like to play at a high level and expect that out of yourself.”
The Bucks are heavy favorites in the series. They have size and experience to their advantage and won all four regular-season meetings. But that’s just fine with DeRozan, who welcomes the underdog label whenever he enters the postseason.
“I know for me, my whole life, my motivation to make it was all the naysayers,” DeRozan said. “You’ve got to use that free energy whatever way possible.”
For all his success, DeRozan still is chasing his first NBA Finals appearance. But it’s why he came to Chicago, and he’s intent on making it happen.
It will be an uphill climb, but DeRozan doesn’t believe anyone has seen the best of him yet.
“As I get older, it’s about wanting to prove that you can still get better,” DeRozan said. “You get smarter with age. You understand how to take care of yourself and understand how to affect the game.
“As long as that passion’s still there, you can continue to get better.”
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