DeMar DeRozan was not named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December on Monday. That honor went to John Wall of the Washington Wizards.
The month saw DeRozan average 25 points (fifth in the NBA and second in the East), 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and one steal in 37 minutes as he led the Toronto Raptors to a 9-6 record. He shot 47.1 percent from the floor, 28 percent from long-range, and 86.6 percent on a ridiculous 8.5 free-throw attempts per-game.
It would have been DeRozan’s second career Player of the Month award and second in the last three season months, as he was given the nod for the short April month at the end of the 2014-15 season. He also would have (should have) been the first Raptors player to ever win two Player of the Month awards (Kyle Lowry and Chris Bosh are the only others to win even one). DeRozan was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career for the week ending Dec. 13. He was also given an honorable mention for Player of the Month in November, though he didn’t play nearly at this level and wasn’t the best player on his own team that month.
That last note makes his month perhaps even more impressive. While DeRozan thrived, tag-team partner Lowry was struggling some on the offensive end, still producing well but at a lower level of efficiency than in November. DeRozan was tasked with carrying the offense for longer stretches, and while Lowry often helped close things out, it was decidedly DeRozan’s team for the past several weeks.
Increasing the load further on DeRozan were the absences of Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll. Missing two starters, the Raptors still stayed afloat, surprising with a 6-3 mark while both were sidelined. In those games, DeRozan turned it up even further, averaging 25.9 points on 49.7-percent shooting. The absence of Carroll often also means that DeRozan takes on a larger defensive load. Carroll normally checks the opposing team’s top wing, and when he’s sidelined, that task gets split between DeRozan, Terrence Ross, and James Johnson. DeRozan is only an average defender and the team correctly tries to protect him, match-up wise, to conserve him for the offensive end, but December saw him take on more responsibility on that side of the ball.
Opposite DeRozan were several marquee perimeter defenders. DeRozan wasn’t putting up numbers against dregs, ripping off a nine-game streak of 20 or more points against names like Kawhi Leonard, Khris Middleton, Justise Winslow, Paul George, and Wesley Matthews. That streak ended with a masterful 19-point, eight-assist performance against Jimmy Butler, generally DeRozan’s toughest opponent. He quickly bounced back with a 34-piece against Otto Porter, who helped shut him down in the playoffs a year ago.
It was truly a remarkable month for the 26-year-old and likely the best of his career. The progress DeRozan has made distributing off the bounce has been steady over the years, and he’s become much smarter at recognizing defensive adjustments and finding teammates when he draws in attention. In terms of scoring, he still takes some difficult shots, but in the words of Lowry, DeRozan is “a bad shot maker.” That’s a tough way to live, but DeRozan succeeds that way, and the jumper in turn helps set up his drive game. He’s also one of the best post-up wings going with the right match-up, as his footwork is excellent and his head fakes tough not to bite on. Of course, the biggest aspect of DeRozan’s game is his singular ability to get to the line, something he does more than anyone except James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins.
But Wall had a good month, too, helping lead his team to an 8-8 record through injuries. His numbers are eye-popping, and the “where would this team be without him” argument is greatly in Wall’s favor. Because the answer is “going to Tankaholics Anonymous meetings with the Sixers.” (Not quite to that level, but they’d be brutal without him.) Wall was great, and has been good all season, but it’s a bit disappointing given how the Raptors also played well through injuries and given just how good DeRozan was. LeBron James, meanwhile, led the ever-great Cleveland Cavaliers during a light month that saw the team return to health, and was the victim of some combination of voter fatigue and an easier degree of difficulty than DeRozan.
Astonishingly, DeRozan and James didn’t receive an honorable mention. Initially. Raptors Republic was told the league office made a mistake and that DeRozan’s exclusion was an “oversight,” and he’ll be added as an honorable mention. Reggie Jackson, Nikola Vucevic, and Paul Millsap also got the honorable mentions in the East. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shared the award in the West, like good friends do.
DeRozan, by the way, probably won’t be too bothered. “I be forgetting all about it, honestly,” he told Raptors Republic on Sunday. He did admit, however, that it’s a “great accomplishment” to “be able to represent the team” in that way.
