Demar Derozan- Huh?
The only crazy production I cannot entirely explain is DeMar DeRozan, who seems to inadvertently be giving a gigantic middle finger to modern basketball sensibilities. He is a ball stopper, averages less than three assists per game, is not a great defender (which is admittedly not entirely related to this discussion about offense, but it still helps drive home how gleefully anachronistic Derozan is), and makes a grand total of 0.3 three’s per game.
He is somehow averaging a league leading 33.7 points per game while playing in a fashion that hasn’t been in style since Tracy McGrady was still getting sleepy-Kobe Bryant comparisons. He is shooting 52.4 percent from the field and producing insanely on a consistent diet of herky jerky layups, and more indecently, on a seemingly never-ending stream of contested midrange jumpers that almost always look like they shouldn’t go in.
To put it mildly, Derozan seems like a bit of an anomaly. Yet anomaly or not, this retrograde throwback of a player is leading the league in scoring, modern sensibilities be damned.
Bonus Surprise- Joel Embiid Is Pretty Good
I doubt I have anything to add about this guy that hasn’t been said already.
Just:
Yeah, I think Philly got an alright one over there.
Must Read: NBA Power Rankings: Are The Thunder, Clippers For Real?
If you made it this far thanks for reading! Feel free to tune in next week when I discuss some early season disappointments. Hint: one of them is a collective low hanging fruit that rhymes with “Phew Fork Picks”.