DeMar DeRozan was thinking about going to the Lakers in the offseason, although, in the end, he went to the Chicago Bulls where he now plays with the likes of Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball. The Bulls are finally good again and there is a real belief that this team is going to go far in the playoffs. Despite this, some fans have labeled DeRozan as “washed,” which couldn’t be further from the truth. At 32 years old, DeRozan is still very effective, and last night, he proved that with a 38-point performance against the Lakers.
After the game, DeRozan noted that LaVine wanted him to score 40, although he jokingly noted that he was too tired to do so. He did address the “washed” comments, however, explaining that he still has a lot to prove at this stage of his career, and he still wants to win the highest honor in the sport.
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“I can go down the list of just being counted out, being looked over,” DeRozan said per ESPN. “So many chips that’s on my shoulder that I carry. And just wanting to be a winner and wanting to enjoy this ride. We can’t play this game forever, so I want to get as much as I can out of it. […] I never looked at age as being an issue. I never looked at it. People put the age limit on everything, and I never did. The way I worked, the way I take care of my body, the way I prepare, I knew what I was capable of doing. I just took different roads the last couple years of playing basketball, trying to do the right thing, figuring it out.”
If DeRozan continues to play like this, then the Bulls will have no problem cruising throughout the season. They have a ton of great pieces, and DeRozan has proven to be a leader through all of it.
[Via]