Tag Archives: Amir Johnson

There has been no shortage of stories in Raptorland lately as they begin to put the pieces of their season back together again.  There has been the inspired play of Amir Johnson, the leadership of Jose Calderon and the energized return of both Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields. Of course, there is also the continued absence of Andrea Bargnani.

It is debatable which one of these stories has had the biggest impact in the Raptors recent turnaround.  But , possibly the most “feel good” story during the first half of the season (so far) may be the emergence of DeMar DeRozan.

Raptor fans have been waiting with bated breath for DeRozan to up his game and become the upper echelon player he was pegged to be when he was drafted 9^th overall out of USC in 2009.

DeRozan has begun to assert himself as the Raptors team leader and number one option on offense. In the process he is proving his naysayers wrong and justifying his large contract extension.

In the span of the last few months we have watched DeMar grow from a player, struggling to adjust to the pressures of being a top option, to a confident young man who is comfortably leading his team to some of the best basketball they have played in a long time.

When DeRozan first came to Toronto he was used as a complimentary player to the young core the Raptors had at the time.  At just 20 years of age and thrust into a starting role on a competitive Raptors squad, he was expected to take the ball to the rack off of cuts and provide steady defensive play.  He thrived in this complimentary role and earned the praise of then coach Sam Mitchell.

His efforts that first year were one of the key reasons the Raptors stayed in the playoff picture until the last day of the season.   In subsequent years he became an increased part of the Raptors offense and gained valuable experience along the way.

When Chris Bosh took his talents to South Beach, DeRozan was no longer looked at as a complimentary piece by the organization.  The Raps needed him to step up his game and become a top flight player to compliment the newly anointed number one, Andrea Bargnani. With the increased expectations, DeRozan struggled.

He was asked to become a top flight shooter, which he wasn’t yet. They needed him to shoot the three with some consistency, he could not.  They needed him to drive the lane more, but instead, he shied away from it.

As a top option in Toronto he garnered more attention from opposing defenses and he wasn’t ready for the adjustments he needed to make.  Questions began to swirl about whether DeRozan would ever become that top-tier player for Toronto, whether the Raptors would be better off letting him go as a free agent or packaging him in a trade.

Last season he was forced into an increased role when Andrea Bargnani went down with injury.  He needed, not only, to be a top scorer, but a team leader.  Though he struggled with his shot and continued to be marred by issues with his three-point range, the team developed an identity around him.  Much of this ‘change in culture’ was rightfully credited to Dwane Casey, but the Raptors were able to share the ball, play team defense and get along  with DeRozan as the number one option. DeMar is the type of unselfish player who is happy to defer to his teammates.  He isn’t a player that needs to have the ball in his hands all the time, the offense doesn’t need to flow through him.

Although DeRozan’s numbers were still mediocre on paper last year, he was beginning to show signs of maturity. He began taking the advice of coach Casey and kept driving the lane.  Slowly his free throw attempt numbers went up and he began to get more and more calls from the officials. Casey was tough on DeRozan, but in the process earned his respect.

“It was tough last year. Even though we did well on the defensive end, you still struggle at parts. You’re still learning. Casey is definitely good for us.”

Coach Casey has cracked the code with DeMar since arriving in Toronto and the forward has responded with inspired play.

This season, armed with a controversial 4 year contract extension, DeRozan has taken his game to the next level.  His numbers are better across the board, but it isn’t the modest increases in his percentages that have Raptor fans smiling; it’s the way he is carrying himself and his team.

Gone are the rushed shots taken early in the shot clock, the fear of driving the net and the reliance on a high number of mid-range jump shots.

Instead DeRozan is driving the net and demanding the respect of the leagues officials.  He is taking open jump shots within the flow of the offense, he’s using his size to take advantage of opposing defenses with impressive post-up moves and he is helping facilitate the ball movement that has inspired the Raptors recent play.

“I need to play within my game. I know if I get a shot in rhythm, I can knock it down. But for me, I’m an aggressive player. We’ve got a lot of 3-point shooters on this team. If I’m being aggressive, that can open up a 3-point shot for them.”

DeMar looks and sounds like a completely different player on the court.  He looks confident, aggressive and most of all he is taking control on the court. He is doing a better job of knowing when to shoot and when to make the extra pass.  He isn’t hesitating when he goes to the rim because he knows, if he keeps doing it, he’s gonna get the calls more times than not and he is learning how to exploit mismatches on both ends of the floor.

Dwane Casey has been impressed with his play and knows DeRozan is a key part of the Raptors future.  ”He’s one of our core guys”.

Much of the credit for the Raptors recent run of good games has been, very fairly placed on the play and leadership of Jose Calderon, but quietly DeMar DeRozan has emerged as a leader as well.

He is the player the team looks to for guidance.  The ball flows through him. But he isn’t just taking more shots, he is getting his teammates involved as well.  They trust him, his coaches trust him and mot importantly he trusts himself.

So far this season DeRozan has erased any doubt that may have lingered over the max extension.  If he keeps up this strong play, his extension may turn out to be a bargain.

He’s becoming everything you want in an on-court leader.

The scary part is,  he’s still getting better.

***

Kristoffer Pedlar
The Zan Tabak Herald

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