DeMar DeRozan is a worthy 2022 NBA MVP candidate

DeMar DeRozan is putting together a worthy NBA MVP resume. 

DeMar DeRozan is doing something the NBA has ever seen from a perimeter player.

Not LeBron James. Not Michael Jordan. Not Kobe Bryant.

After scoring 40 points while shooting 66.7 percent from the field in the Chicago Bulls‘ Monday night victory against the San Antonio Spurs, DeRozan has notched his sixth-consecutive game of scoring at least 35 points while shooting 50 percent or better from the field.

This streak of six games ties him with Wilt Chamberlain for the longest active streak in NBA history.

There are few things more astounding than joining Chamberlain in any statistical category, speaking to just how impressive DeRozan has been over the past couple of weeks and this season.

DeRozan’s averaging a career-high 27.9 points per game on just 1.8 3-point attempts per game, which according to Statmuse, is the most points per game average by any guard on fewer than two 3-point attempts per game since Jordan in 1997-98. He’s also shooting 53.4 percent from 2 and 33.7 percent from 3, both career-highs.

Even more impressive though is how good DeRozan has been in the clutch. He’s leading the league in fourth-quarter points at 431, nearly 70 points more than the next closest player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also, DeRozan’s second to Joel Embiid for the most clutch points in the NBA, but his efficiency with shooting splits of .542/.667/.900 is unmatched.

The Bulls are currently just a half-game behind the Miami Heat for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. If Chicago can finish the season as the top seed in the East, DeRozan would be impossible to ignore as an MVP candidate playing the way he has this season.

The scoring streak DeRozan is currently on could not have come at a better time for a Chicago team riddled with injuries and now without Zach LaVine through at least the All-Star break. The 32-year-old swingman has carried this Bulls team the entire season, leading them to near the top of a stacked Eastern Conference.

The point is that what DeRozan has done this season is incredibly special and, at the same time, completely unexpected making it all that more meaningful, especially when you consider his level of efficiency and clutch production in the fourth quarter.

DeRozan has a chance to make history on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings. He can extend his current streak to seven games, passing Chamberlain for the most consecutive games with 35-plus points on 50 percent or better shooting.

DeRozan may not win the MVP due to how brilliant Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have played this season, but at the very least DeRozan should finish in the top three in MVP voting.