One of the best storylines from this NBA season has been DeMar Derozan’s breakout year, dropping 28 a night in his first season with the new-look Bulls.
With DeMar looking like a legitimate candidate for the MVP, he would potentially be the first Bull since Derrick Rose in 2010 to win the award. But even though some of DeRozan’s statistics now stack up better than Rose’s, how would they play in the same league-averages?
| Player | Derrick Rose | DeMar DeRozan |
| G | 81 | 61 |
| Pts | 25.8 +.7 | 29.8 +1.9 |
| FG | 9 | 11 |
| FGA | 20.8 +1.1 | 21.5 +1.4 |
| 2P | 6.6 | 10.4 |
| 2PA | 13.7 8.3% DEF | 20.1 10% INF |
| 3P | 2.4 | .5 |
| 3PA | 7.1 48.3% INF | 1.4 24.6% DEF |
| eFG% | .489 | .523 |
| AST | 8.2 6.7% INF | 4.8 5.9% DEF |
Considering DeRozan is a career 29% 3-point shooter, it’s understandable why the 25% deflation of 3-point attempts does not really bother him. In fact, this league shift plays in favor of Derozan’s best weapon: the midrange shot.
Around 4 of his 10 field goals per game come from the midrange, which makes up over 58% of his total field-goal attempts. On those shots, DeRozan is exactly 50% from the floor.
Rose in his prime utilized this part of the floor significantly less, taking just 27% of his total field goal attempts from within 10 feet and the 3-point line. Instead, inflation dictates that Rose would add nearly a made three per game while sacrificing an attempt at the rim, arguably Rose’s most notable trait.
But, with 17-games left in the Bulls regular season, we will see if DeRozan can continue at this pace, which would give him the 12th season in Bulls history where a player averaged over 28 a night. The other 11? All from another, well-known Bulls guard.
