If you ask Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, the good folks over at Sports Illustrated are selling him way short.
DeRozan was ranked at No. 46 in SI’s annual Top 100 NBA Players list, and it was a decision he clearly did not agree with based on a couple of thinly-veiled subtweets he sent out on Thursday night.
FOH. 46
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) September 16, 2016
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) September 16, 2016
The two-time All-Star’s surface statistics certainly seem worthy of a higher ranking, as he averaged 23.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 4.0 assists per game for Toronto last season. But DeRozan’s lack of an outside shot and his heavy reliance on long 2-point jumpers prevent him from scoring efficiently (45.6 career effective field goal percentage). His defense is also below-average at best, and his style of play never seems to translate particularly well to the postseason.
Still, coming off the best statistical year of his career and still riding high from the five-year, $139 extension he signed with the Raptors this summer, perhaps this is the motivation DeRozan needs to take another step forward in 2016-17.
H/T theScore
