DeMar DeRozan has been a key player in helping the Chicago Bulls be one of the best teams in the NBA. He’s also among those who have had to share MVP votes with multiple players, and his years-long success was finally rewarded this season as he was chosen to represent Toronto at next month’s All-Star game while Jimmy Butler is recovering from surgery.
The “1997 nba all star game” was the first time that the NBA All-Star Game voting went to a fan vote. DeMar DeRozan is getting the support worthy of his role in the Chicago Bulls success.
Give credit to your fans. They are often chastised for actions like as voting for the NBA All-Standout Game, but they are spot on when it comes to Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is racing away from the pack for one of the starting backcourt slots in the Eastern Conference, according to the second batch of voting updates for the Feb. 20 tournament in Cleveland.
Voting is open until Jan. 22, but DeRozan is approaching lock territory. DeRozan’s arrival in Chicago sparked a historic comeback for a squad that had not reached the playoffs since 2017. Despite a drubbing by the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 12, the Bulls still lead the Eastern Conference by 1.5 games and are 27–12 overall. DeRozan’s resurgence coincides with Chicago’s resurgence in the Eastern Conference.
DeMar DeRozan is set to make his third All-Star appearance.
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DeMar DeRozan has been in four NBA All-Star Games. His most recent outing was with the Toronto Raptors in 2018. In 2014 and 2016, DeRozan was a reserve. In 2017 and 2018, he was elected as a starter.
After three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, he was sent to the Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal last summer. He’s averaging 26.0 points per game, which is the most he’s put up since 2016–17.
It’s an understatement to suggest DeRozan’s effect in Chicago has been unexpected. The Bulls’ acquisition of DeRozan equaled for last place in an ESPN poll of offseason moves.
In Chicago, though, he’s easily fit the small-ball 4 spot. DeRozan isn’t technically a stretch-4; he’s a lifetime 28.5 percent 3-point shooter, and his 2.0 attempts per game average this season is the third-highest of his 12-year career.
However, he’s shooting 50.8 percent from two-point range and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc, which is a career best. DeRozan works from the mid-range, where he hits 54.9 percent of his shots from 10 to 16 feet and attempts 30 percent of his shots from there. A quarter of his efforts are the analytics crowd’s nightmare (the deep 2-pointer), which he makes 43.6 percent of the time.
Coach Billy Donovan, in other words, is letting DeRozan do his thing. It seems to be functioning.
Why is DeMar DeRozan on the backcourt ballot for the NBA All-Star Game?
DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls is leading fan polling for the NBA All-Star Game’s backcourt players in the Eastern Conference. | Getty Images/Stacy Revere
DeMar DeRozan has over 3 million votes according to the NBA’s most recent voting update, which was posted on Jan. 13. Young is in second position with about 1.6 million votes. DeRozan more than doubles the score of third-place finisher Zach LaVine of the Bulls.
The NBA All-Star Game’s starting lineup was modified in 2013 from the conventional five positions — two forwards, two guards, and a center — to a system in which three frontcourt players start with two backcourt players (guards).
However, it’s worth pondering why DeRozan is on the backcourt ballot. The last time he played most of his minutes as a guard was in 2017–18, according to play-by-play stats. According to the data, he hasn’t played in the backcourt since 2017–18.
According to projections, DeRozan will be in the 4 78 percent of the time this season. He spends 15% of his time as center and plays the 3, small forward, for 8% of his minutes.
That’s an odd resume for a guard. But according to NBA correspondent Marc Stein’s tweet, there is a logical — if not necessarily rational — reason DeRozan is where he is on the ballot.
“The NBA placed him as a guard on the All-Star ballot because he has been listed as a guard throughout his career and continues to consider him as a guard who starts alongside teammates Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball,” Stein said.
The old justification of “that’s how we’ve always done it” comes up again.
Two Bulls are almost certainly going to the NBA All-Star Game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0L55 UETkU
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The last time the Chicago Bulls sent two players to the NBA All-Star Game was in 2016. That year, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol visited Toronto.
LaVine was the first Bulls All-Star since Butler in 2017 last season. LaVine is nearly certain to feature in the midseason(ish) showcase for the second year in a row. For the fourth straight season, he’s averaging 25.6 points on 54.2 percent shooting from inside the arc and 41.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
DeMar DeRozan should be the first Chicago player to start an NBA All-Star Game since Gasol in 2015.
However, fans account for just half of the selecting process. The percentage of votes cast by the media is 25%, as is the percentage of votes cast by players.
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets leads the voting for the Eastern Conference frontcourt slots with with 4.1 million votes. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid are the other two starters.
With approximately 4.5 million votes, Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry tops all players. The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant is ranked second among backcourt players. The frontcourt voting is led by LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by Nikola Joki of the Denver Nuggets and Andrew Wiggins of Golden State.
DeMar DeRozan has guided the Chicago Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference and is deserving of the awards. This includes a travel to Cleveland for the NBA All-Star Game’s opening ceremony.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
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