Emotional sequence ahead of last night’s Spurs/Bulls, when DeMar DeRozan was introduced by a music video honoring his time in San Antonio, whether for his clutch actions, his leadership or his contribution to the local community .
Chance of the calendar, his arrival in San Antonio was preceded by the announcement of his presence as a holder at the next All-Star Game, a nice revenge for the player, at the bottom of the hole after his departure from Toronto, and who knew how to transcend himself with the Spurs for three seasons before taking the direction of Chicago during the offseason.
Although he spent almost ten years in Toronto, and his time in San Antonio was frustrating on a collective level, DeMar DeRozan appreciated the reception of Texan fans following the trade with Kawhi Leonard.
“I learned so much from my time here. They accepted me from day one. I gave it my all when I wore that shirt, and this video shows the respect I showed them, after representing the Spurs franchise as best I could. To be honored in this way for my comeback is something I clearly don’t take for granted. It makes me more than happy, joyful, to receive such a tribute.
Out of sight near the heart
Paradoxically, there was a bit of DeMar DeRozan in the Spurs victory that night, as he accompanied Gregg Popovich’s young guard to develop, whether it was Keldon Johnson, for whom he was a “big brother and a mentor” or Dejoute Murray.
” He is my little brother. I have the greatest respect and a lot of love for him, not only as a basketball player but as a human being. Since my time here, we have created a bond that will never break., he added about the MVP of the night, author of 29 points and 12 assists and not far from turning to a triple-double on average. “He should be at the All-Star Game. I would have liked their record to be better, because there are not many point guards that I would take before him. He plays very good basketball, not only offensively, but also defensively. He is one of the best two-way players in this league.
DeMar DeRozan changed dimension by landing in Illinois to support the LaVine-Vucevic tandem. However, he still keeps a very strong link with the Spurs.
“I watch every one of their games. If we don’t play, I watch them. I talk to Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and most of those guys. I stay in touch with them.he continued. “I also talk to Pop a lot. He calls me from time to time, not especially for a particular reason, just to ask me how I’m doing. It’s another connection to this franchise that I will cherish forever. The way he took me and allowed me to be myself when I was there… It’s always great to see him, to be able to talk, to bedroom, it was a little thing that we had between us”.
| DeMar DeRozan | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2009-10 | TOR | 77 | 22 | 49.8 | 25.0 | 76.3 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 8.6 |
| 2010-11 | TOR | 82 | 35 | 46.7 | 9.6 | 81.3 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 17.2 |
| 2011-12 | TOR | 63 | 35 | 42.2 | 26.1 | 81.0 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 16.7 |
| 2012-13 | TOR | 82 | 37 | 44.5 | 28.3 | 83.1 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 18.1 |
| 2013-14 | TOR | 79 | 38 | 42.9 | 30.5 | 82.4 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 22.7 |
| 2014-15 | TOR | 60 | 35 | 41.3 | 28.4 | 83.2 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 20.1 |
| 2015-16 | TOR | 78 | 36 | 44.6 | 33.8 | 85.0 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 23.5 |
| 2016-17 | TOR | 74 | 35 | 46.7 | 26.6 | 84.2 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 27.3 |
| 2017-18 | TOR | 80 | 34 | 45.6 | 31.0 | 82.5 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 23.0 |
| 2018-19 | SAN | 77 | 35 | 48.1 | 15.6 | 83.0 | 0.7 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 21.2 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 68 | 34 | 53.1 | 25.7 | 84.5 | 0.7 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 22.1 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 61 | 34 | 49.5 | 25.7 | 88.0 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 21.6 |
| 2021-22 | CHI | 43 | 35 | 49.7 | 32.9 | 85.5 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 26.4 |
| Total | 924 | 34 | 46.2 | 28.4 | 83.4 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 20.4 | |
