DeMar DeRozan has been the catalyst for the Bulls’ resurgence this year, and Stephen A. Smith believes he should be up there with the Jokic’s and Embiid’s of the league.
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The Chicago Bulls have had an incredible rise to relevance this year, currently tied with Miami for the Eastern Conference lead, a season after missing the playoffs entirely (including the play-in tournament).
The Bulls committed to being a winning team this year, going out and signing players like Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and of course, DeMar DeRozan, to build a team that could be successful.
Chicago started this process last year by bringing in Nikola Vucevic to pair with their growing star in Zach Lavine, but the results are only panning out now. The Bulls look like a serious contender and DeMar DeRozan could be a genuine MVP candidate.
All-Star break standings check-in 👀 pic.twitter.com/TO0KV8D8VF
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 18, 2022
Stephen A. Smith believes DeMar DeRozan should be in the MVP conversation
If you’ve been paying attention to the Bulls recently, you’ll know that DeRozan just broke a crazy scoring record that was previously held by legends like Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
DeMar DeRozan has broken Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive games with 35+ points on 50% or better shooting. pic.twitter.com/bmHRUg5tf2
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 17, 2022
It happened. DeMar DeRozan is the first player in NBA history with 35+ points on 50% shooting in 7 straight games.
38 PTS | 59 FG%
40 PTS | 67 FG%
38 PTS | 50 FG%
35 PTS | 64 FG%
36 PTS | 68 FG%
38 PTS | 59 FG%
45 PTS | 60 FG% pic.twitter.com/LjNqZAxnpB— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 17, 2022
The Bulls have needed DeRozan to be on his game as well. They’re missing several key starters due to injury including Zach Lavine, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams. DeRozan has more than kept the ship afloat in the meantime. On the year, DeRozan is averaging a career high 28.1 points per game on 51.7% field goal shooting (good for 4th in the league), 5.2 rebounds per game, and 5.1 assists per game.
For those reasons, Stephen A. Smith believes that DeRozan should be talked about in the MVP conversation along with the other favorites like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic.
DeMar DeRozan is a leading candidate for league MVP honors.
pic.twitter.com/70mw0ilAPw— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 18, 2022
