DeMar DeRozan had a bounce back season with the Chicago Bulls, taking the six-time NBA champions to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010s. DeRozan landed in team with a young shooting guard like Zach LaVine, while the team also added Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball to the roster.
They showed interesting things during the regular season, becoming one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. However, once the playoff arrived, the Bulls were dismantled by the then defending champions Milwaukee Bucks, getting eliminated in the first round.
The Bucks are a team that’s always considered championship contenders, which is why it was hard for the Bulls to put up with them. Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a show, defeating the inexperienced Bulls that couldn’t do much against him.
DeMar DeRozan Is A Big Admirer Of Giannis Antetokounmpo
This was DeRozan’s first season back in the East, where he learned about Giannis’ evolution and how hard it is to compete against the Greek Freak. During his participation on JJ Redick’s ‘The Old Man and the Three’ podcast, DeMar opened up on the challenges to go against Giannis and what makes him so special (52:35).
“In comparison to being in the East for so long before I went to San Antonio, playing against Giannis and seeing the development to where he is now, it’s incredible. It’s remarkable the effort that you see he put in to want to be great. It’s something that, as a basketball fan and spectator, I look at a guy like Giannis, or if I’m someone else who’s trying to make it, let me see how dedicated he was, because when he first came into the league, he’s just a skinny kid, you will push him around, didn’t know how to play basketball, but there was something there.
DeRozan explained that besides Giannis’ talent and the fact that he had the tool that could make him a superstar, the Bucks player worked hard to be where and who he is right now, which separates the good from the great ones.
“But a lot of people have something there, that don’t necessarily means they find it, but for him you can tell the dedication and how bad he wanted it, even to this day, you can just say how bad he wants it. You can see it physically, his demeanor, when he go out there on the court he’s a fucking killer. Every time. As a basketball fan, you gotta respect that, and you know, being able to compete against him, you see why he won the MVP, he’s one of the most dominant players in our league without a doubt.”
Many people have seen Kobe Bryant as an inspiration to be great, and DeRozan knows a lot about that. However, he has another option for that role, and Giannis is the perfect candidate. The Greek Freak had to fight hard to become the superstar he is right now, never losing his humbleness and cool attitude.
As DeRozan said, Giannis is a killer, and that mentality has led him to win two MVP trophies, one NBA champion, and a Finals MVP trophy, among others. He’s just entering his prime and things look scary for his rivals.
