With a pull-up baseline fadeaway in the fourth quarter on Sunday, DeMar DeRozan passed Vince Carter for second place on the Toronto Raptors’ all-time scoring list.
DeRozan’s 22 points (so far) on the night give him 9,421 for his career, inching him past Carter’s 9,420. Carter took 117 fewer games to get there, but it’s still incredibly impressive for the franchise’s all-time winningest player in DeRozan. Over seven seasons, he’s averaged 18.1 points, sixth in franchise history and fourth among those to play at least 100 games. (He’d finish with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, quite a night at the offensive end despite just three free-throw attempts.)
Chris Bosh is the franchise’s leading scorer with 10,275 points, a mark DeRozan will blow past if he re-signs this offseason.
“That means he’s a gunner,” Kyle Lowry joked after the game. “He doesn’t pass enough. He shoots too much.”
DeRozan also ranks third in games played, just five back of Jose Calderon and 22 back of Morris Peterson, second in minutes (about 35 games’ worth behind Bosh), third in field goals, second in free-throws, fifth in steals, fifth in Win Shares, sixth in assists, and eighth in rebounds. In 520 games, he’s averaged 18.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 0.9 steals, with a 52.9 true-shooting percentage.
In other words, DeRozan has developed from a ninth overall pick that was regarded as risky at the time into a bonafide star, earning two All-Star nods and likely a max contract for his efforts. Should DeRozan stay with the organization beyond this year, it’s very likely he’ll have control of many franchise records, likely by the end of next season. More importantly to him, I’m sure, is that a run past the first round of the playoffs this year would give him and running mate Kyle Lowry firm claims at top-five spots in Raptors’ lore, with each in the argument for No. 3, or even No. 2, depending on how much an individual values team success over the individual (and how deep a run the Raptors make).
“I’m so proud of him. I’m proud of him,” head coach Dwane Casey said. “The way his game has evolved. It’s still growing….It couldn’t happen to a better person, better player, better teammate, better leader.”
It’s pretty incredible how far DeRozan’s come in his seven years with the club. It’s really, really difficult to imagine him in any other uniform.
