Bulls player DeRozan ties Larry Bird following his receipt of a major honor.
As even the most sanguine supporters started to write the Chicago Bulls off, this team proved to have far more tenacity than anyone could have predicted. The Bulls went on a four-game road trip through the Western Conference and won three of them, losing only to the Clippers, a club ranked in the top five.
I believe I can speak for the majority of supporters when I say that I anticipated the Bulls to falter a little deeper down the standings on this difficult road trip. Rather, DeMar DeRozan’s outstanding play would sustain Chicago, helping the team return to a 31-32 record and giving the Bulls a genuine chance to return to a.500 winning percentage on the season.
The Bulls would not have emerged victorious from this four-game stretch with DeMar taking things to a new level, as he averaged 29.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. Last week, he shot an astonishingly effective 55.1% from the field and even made 41.2% of his three-point shots, which is quite an accomplishment for someone with DeMar’s typically bad shooting stats.
DeRozan was awarded the Eastern Conference Player of the Week title, which he deservedly earned. He joins Luka Doncic, the Western Conference Player of the Week, who finished last week with an incredible triple-double average of 37.8 points, 10.5 assists, and 10.5 rebounds.
After another great season with the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan is proving himself to be one of the most overlooked stars in NBA history.
This is DeRozan’s first Player of the Week award win of the year, while Doncic adds a third to his collection this season alone. Luka has already compiled quite a prolific career, with this being the 12th Player of the Week award of his career — tied for 28th most wins in NBA history
Doncic continues to trail DeRozan in career victories, even if he may have the advantage over DeMar this season. alongside 15 Player of the Week titles under his belt, DeMar is tied for the 22nd most victories in history alongside confirmed great Larry Bird and David Robinson. Only 13 players have ever received the award 20 or more times in their careers, so he still has time to climb this list and catch more greats like Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.
Given the ups and downs of this Bulls basketball era, it’s simple to underestimate how great DeRozan has been since joining Chicago in the summer of 2021. In his three seasons with the Bulls, he has been consistently excellent, making him the best free agent signing in franchise history without a question.
Actually, Michael Jordan, who earned 25 Player of the Week accolades during his career, is the only player with a greater Bulls career points per game average than DeMar. Fans of the Bulls will undoubtedly be preoccupied with DeRozan’s upcoming free agency, as his choice to remain or go for better opportunities will have a significant impact on the team’s future course.
