(No) Chips On Their Shoulders: NBA stars with legacies to defend in the second round of the playoffs
By Mack Biester
DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs*
Of all the players mentioned, I would guess that DeMar DeRozan is the most pissed. He was assigned as the fall guy for three consecutive lost series at the hands of LeBron, two of them sweeps.
Worse, the whispers have evolved into full-blown shouts that you just can’t win championships in today’s NBA if your go-to scorer is a guard who plays inside-out like DeRozan or John Wall. On the San Antonio Spurs, DeRozan has the benefit of a far lower bar than he faced in Toronto – not only is this team not even expected to make it out of the first round, cushioning his blame, but he also has a legitimate second scoring option in LaMarcus Aldridge and the greatest coach in the history of the sport to share the glory with.
Perhaps with a dimmer spotlight, DeRozan will be able to shed the stigma of the slasher and deliver on the NBA’s biggest stage.