Here’s a nice way to make one final push in NBA All-Star voting: DeMar DeRozan has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 9-15, the team announced Monday.
It’s DeRozan’s third such honor of the season and the fourth of his career, tying him with Kyle Lowry for third on the franchise’s all-time list (Vince Carter and Chris Bosh each won seven). DeRozan becomes the first player in team history to win the award three times in one season, and as you may realize, it’s still only January. It’s also a continuation of DeRozan’s torrid season, one that sees him ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring – with an uptick in efficiency – at the head of one of the three best offenses in basketball.
DeRozan led the Raptors to a 3-0 record this week, averaging 30.7 points on 51.5-percent shooting with 24 free-throw attempts, plus 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He dropped a season-high 41 points with relative ease against Boston while also grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds, then dominated Brooklyn and New York enough that he wasn’t required for either fourth quarter (he averaged 31.9 minutes over the three games). He’s also in the midst of a career-best 12-game streak of scoring 20 points or more, one that dates back to before Christmas.
Quite a year DeRozan’s having, one that should see him make his third All-Star appearance.
Jonas Valanciunas received an honorable mention for the award after averaging 14.7 points and 16.3 rebounds.
