DeMar DeRozan went to the Chicago Bulls this offseason, and they have greatly benefited from his presence. DeRozan is currently averaging 26.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 4.1 APG while helping the Chicago Bulls to their 10-4 record, which currently puts them as the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Chicago Bulls’ most recent win came against the Los Angeles Lakers. DeMar DeRozan dropped 38 points in the victory. What adds salt on the wound for the Los Angeles Lakers is that they talked with DeMar DeRozan during the summer about bringing him in, but ultimately decided to go in a different direction.
When speaking to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, DeRozan revealed that he thought “going to the Lakers was a done deal”, and commented on his performance against the Lakers, claiming he wanted to play well when “coming back” to his hometown.
I felt like going to the Lakers was a done deal and that we were going to figure it out. I was going to come home.The business side of things just didn’t work out. A couple of things didn’t align. It didn’t work out. It’s just part of the business, part of the game. My next option was definitely Chicago. So, looking back at it, it worked out well.
But there’s always motivation. It may be just to come home and play in front of friends and family, competing against teams you grew up watching. There are all sorts of motivations that you carry and you try to channel that energy into the game. I find that in every game, but definitely coming back to your hometown, you want to play well and you have that motivation to put on a great show.
There is no doubt that DeMar DeRozan could have potentially helped the Los Angeles Lakers this year with his consistent scoring and improved 3PT shooting ability (37.1% from 3PT range during 2021-22 season). However, what’s done is done, and as of now, DeMar DeRozan is a member of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls will hope that DeMar DeRozan’s spectacular performances continue, but they have enough firepower with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic to make sure they can win even with a DeRozan off-night. DeMar DeRozan is currently playing some of the best basketball of his life, and as he said, the move to Chicago “worked out well”.
